Shuai Gao: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Genomics, College of Life Sciences, Third Hospital, Peking University, Beijing, China.
Liying Yan: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Genomics, College of Life Sciences, Third Hospital, Peking University, Beijing, China. ORCID
Rui Wang: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Genomics, College of Life Sciences, Third Hospital, Peking University, Beijing, China.
Jingyun Li: Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China.
Jun Yong: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Genomics, College of Life Sciences, Third Hospital, Peking University, Beijing, China.
Xin Zhou: Department of General Surgery, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, China.
Yuan Wei: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Genomics, College of Life Sciences, Third Hospital, Peking University, Beijing, China.
Xinglong Wu: Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China.
Xiaoye Wang: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Genomics, College of Life Sciences, Third Hospital, Peking University, Beijing, China.
Xiaoying Fan: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Genomics, College of Life Sciences, Third Hospital, Peking University, Beijing, China.
Jie Yan: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Genomics, College of Life Sciences, Third Hospital, Peking University, Beijing, China.
Xu Zhi: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Genomics, College of Life Sciences, Third Hospital, Peking University, Beijing, China.
Yun Gao: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Genomics, College of Life Sciences, Third Hospital, Peking University, Beijing, China.
Hongshan Guo: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Genomics, College of Life Sciences, Third Hospital, Peking University, Beijing, China.
Xiao Jin: Beijing International Center for Mathematical Research, Peking University, Beijing, China.
Wendong Wang: Department of General Surgery, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, China.
Yunuo Mao: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Genomics, College of Life Sciences, Third Hospital, Peking University, Beijing, China.
Fengchao Wang: National Institute of Biological Sciences (NIBS), Beijing, China.
Lu Wen: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Genomics, College of Life Sciences, Third Hospital, Peking University, Beijing, China.
Wei Fu: Department of General Surgery, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, China.
Hao Ge: Beijing International Center for Mathematical Research, Peking University, Beijing, China. haoge@pku.edu.cn. ORCID
Jie Qiao: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Genomics, College of Life Sciences, Third Hospital, Peking University, Beijing, China. jie.qiao@263.net. ORCID
Fuchou Tang: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Genomics, College of Life Sciences, Third Hospital, Peking University, Beijing, China. tangfuchou@pku.edu.cn. ORCID
The development of the digestive tract is critical for proper food digestion and nutrient absorption. Here, we analyse the main organs of the digestive tract, including the oesophagus, stomach, small intestine and large intestine, from human embryos between 6 and 25 weeks of gestation as well as the large intestine from adults using single-cell RNA-seq analyses. In total, 5,227 individual cells are analysed and 40 cell types clearly identified. Their crucial biological features, including developmental processes, signalling pathways, cell cycle, nutrient digestion and absorption metabolism, and transcription factor networks, are systematically revealed. Moreover, the differentiation and maturation processes of the large intestine are thoroughly investigated by comparing the corresponding transcriptome profiles between embryonic and adult stages. Our work offers a rich resource for investigating the gene regulation networks of the human fetal digestive tract and adult large intestine at single-cell resolution.
