| Description |
As core units of organ tissues, cells of various types play their harmonious rhythms to maintain the homeostasis of human body. It is essential to identify characteristics of the cells in human organs and their regulatory networks for understanding biological mechanisms related to health and disease. However, a systematic and comprehensive single-cell transcriptional profile across multiple organs of normal human adult individual has been pending. We performed single-cell transcriptomes of 84,363 cells derived from 15 tissue organs of one adult donor and generated an adult human cell atlas (AHCA). The AHCA depicted 252 subtypes of cells, including major cell types such as T, B, myeloid, epithelial, and stromal cells, as well as novel cell types in skin, each of which was distinguished by multiple marker genes and transcriptional profiles and collectively contributed to the heterogeneity of major human organs. Moreover, TCR and BCR repertoire comparisons and trajectory analyses revealed direct clonal sharing of T and B cells with various developmental states among different tissues. Furthermore, novel cell markers, transcription factors and ligand-receptor pairs were identified with potential functional regulations on maintaining the homeostasis of human cells among tissues. The AHCA reveals the inter- and intra-organ heterogeneity of cell characteristics and provides a useful resource to uncover key events during the development of human diseases in the context of heterogeneity of cells and organs. |
