Intestinal health is sustained by cooperation between diverse cell types, including epithelial cells, immune cells and stromal cells. Colonic stromal cells provide critical structural support but also regulate mucosal immunity, tolerance and inflammatory responses. Although mucosal stromal cells display substantial variability and plasticity, a paucity of unique genetic markers has precluded the identification of distinct stromal populations and functions. We used single-cell RNA-sequencing to uncover heterogeneity and subtype-specific markers of individual colonic stromal cells in health and ulcerative colitis (UC). Marker-free transcriptional clustering revealed four distinct stromal populations in healthy colon, corresponding to myofibroblasts and three previously unknown distinct subsets of fibroblasts. These fibroblast subsets were substantially remodeled in UC compared to healthy colon: inflamed UC colon was depleted for a healthy fibroblast subpopulation associated with epithelial cell homeostasis, and enriched for a novel disease-associated subtype expressing pro-inflammatory genes. Thus, we have discovered new, molecularly distinct colonic stromal cell subtypes that are altered in human disease. SOURCE: James Kinchen (james.kinchen@stx.ox.ac.uk) - Alison Simmons University of Oxford

Pluto Bioinformatics

GSE95435: Structural Remodeling of the Human Colonic Mesenchyme in Inflammatory Bowel Disease [1]