Multiscale Spatial Mapping of Cell Populations Across Anatomical Sites in Healthy Human Skin and Basal Cell Carcinoma
January 2024
in “
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
”
TLDR The research created a detailed map of skin cells, showing that certain cells in basal cell carcinoma may come from hair follicles and could help the cancer grow.
This document presents a comprehensive spatial atlas of cell populations in healthy human skin and basal cell carcinoma (BCC), achieved through a combination of in vivo optical coherence tomography, single-cell RNA sequencing, spatial global transcriptional profiling, and in situ sequencing. The study found that while cell populations are generally conserved between healthy skin and BCC, mesenchymal cells such as fibroblasts and pericytes show developmental origin signatures. The research suggests that BCC may originate from hair follicles, with cancer-associated fibroblasts being an expansion of a POSTN+ subpopulation linked to hair follicles in healthy skin. Additionally, RGS5+ pericytes are found to be expanded in BCC, indicating a potential role in vascular remodeling. The study proposes that mesenchymal cell identity is influenced by signals from adjacent structures, which may be co-opted in BCC to promote cancer stroma growth. The generated atlas is available for the research community in an interactive online format.
