Segmental specification of the human female fetal reproductive tract revealed by spatiotemporal dynamics - PubMed
4 hours ago
- #Female Reproductive Tract Development
- #Congenital Anomalies
- #Spatiotemporal Transcriptomics
- The study builds a spatiotemporal transcriptomic atlas of human female reproductive tract (FRT) development from gestational weeks 10 to 25.
- Upper and lower FRT segments consist of distinct mesenchymal and epithelial cell subpopulations as early as GW10, with differentiation critical between GW13 and GW22.
- Mesenchymal lineages arise from distinct MSC-like cells, differentiating into fibroblasts and smooth muscle cells guided by TGF-β and PDGF signaling pathways.
- Epithelial development follows region-specific trajectories, with upper and lower FRT epithelial cells originating from different stem-like populations and transitioning between GW14 and GW22.
- MSC-like1 and MSC-like2 regulate epithelial differentiation via WNT5A-FZD (upper FRT) and IGF1-IGF1R (lower FRT) signaling, highlighting spatially specific mesenchymal-epithelial crosstalk.
- The findings provide insights into segmental specification, offering a foundational resource for understanding FRT development, congenital anomalies, and tissue engineering.