A systematic dissection of human primary osteoblasts in vivo at single-cell resolution
Yun Gong, Junxiao Yang, Xiao‐Hua Li, Cui Zhou, Yu Chen, Zun Wang, Xiang Qiu, Ying Liu, Huixi Zhang, Jonathan Greenbaum, Liang Cheng, Yihe Hu, Jie Xie, Xuecheng Yang, Yusheng Li, Yuntong Bai, Yu‐Ping Wang, Yiping Chen, Lijun Tan, Hui Shen, Hong‐Mei Xiao, Hong‐Wen Deng
Abstract
. Trajectory inference analysis suggested that the undetermined cluster, together with the preosteoblasts, are involved in the regulation of osteoblastogenesis and also give rise to mature osteoblasts. Investigation of the biological processes and signaling pathways enriched in each subpopulation revealed that in addition to bone formation, preosteoblasts and undetermined osteoblasts may also regulate both angiogenesis and hemopoiesis. Finally, we demonstrated that there are systematic differences between the transcriptional profiles of human and mouse osteoblasts, highlighting the necessity for studying bone physiological processes in humans rather than solely relying on mouse models. Our findings provide novel insights into the cellular heterogeneity and potential biological functions of human primary osteoblasts at the single-cell level.