Single-cell and spatial transcriptomic profiling revealed niche interactions sustaining growth of endometriotic lesions

Song Liu, Xiaoyan Li, Zhiyue Gu, Jiayu Wu, Shuangzheng Jia, Jinghua Shi, Yi Dai, Yushi Wu, Hailan Yan, Jing Zhang, Yan You, Xiaowei Xue, Lulu Liu, Jinghe Lang, Xiaoyue Wang, Jinhua Leng
Cell genomics · 2025 · vol. 5(1) , pp. 100737 · doi:10.1016/j.xgen.2024.100737 · PMID:39788102 · PMC11770218 · W4406198734
article OA: gold CC0 ⤵ 11 in-corpus citations
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⚙ AI-generated summary by claude@2026-06, 2026-06-08 ⓘ

Single-cell and spatial transcriptomics of endometriotic lesions revealed distinct ovarian stromal cell populations and aberrant WNT signaling in stromal cells contributing to lesion growth.

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Abstract

Endometriosis is a chronic condition with limited therapeutic options. The molecular aberrations promoting ectopic attachment and interactions with the local microenvironment sustaining lesion growth have been unclear, prohibiting development of targeted therapies. Here, we performed single-cell and spatial transcriptomic profiling of ectopic lesions and eutopic endometrium in endometriosis. We found that ectopic endometrial stromal (EnS) cells retained cyclical gene expression patterns of their eutopic counterparts while exhibiting unique gene expression that contributes to the pathogenesis of endometriosis. We identified two distinct ovarian stromal cells (OSCs) localized at different zones of the lesion, showing differential gene expression profiles associated with fibrosis and inflammation, respectively. We also identified WNT5A upregulation and aberrant activation of non-canonical WNT signaling in endometrial stromal cells that may contribute to the lesion establishment, offering novel targets for therapeutic intervention. These data will enhance our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying endometriosis and paves the way for developing non-hormonal treatments.

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Condition tags

endometriosis

MeSH descriptors

Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis

Citation neighborhood

Papers in the corpus that this work cites (lower rings, blue) and that cite this one (upper rings, green). Dot size scales with the paper's in-corpus citation count — bigger dot = more influential within the endo/adeno field. Click a dot to open that paper. [ expand to 2 hops ] — adds papers reached through this work's immediate citers/citees. Heavier; up to 60 extra dots.

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Cited by (11)

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