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Comparative Study
. 2022 Jan 28:2022:5239255.
doi: 10.1155/2022/5239255. eCollection 2022.

Transcriptome Comparison of Brain and Kidney Endothelial Cells in Homeostasis

Xiaohua Huang  1   2 , Zhongshi Huang  3 , Zhongheng Wei  4 , Yun Feng  1   2 , Xuebin Li  1   2 , Anding Xu  1 , Chongdong Jian  2
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Transcriptome Comparison of Brain and Kidney Endothelial Cells in Homeostasis

Xiaohua Huang et al. Biomed Res Int. .

Retraction in

Abstract

Endothelial cells are heterogeneous, stemming from multiple organs, but there is still little known about the connection between the brain and kidney endothelial cells, especially in homeostasis. In this study, scRNA-seq results were obtained to compare genetic profiles and biological features of tissue-specific endothelial cells. On this basis, seven endothelial cell subpopulations were identified, two of which were upregulated genes in pathways related to stroke and/or depression, as characterized by neuroinflammation. This study revealed the similarities and distinctions between brain and kidney endothelial cells, providing baseline information needed to fully understand the relationship between renal diseases and neuroinflammation, such as stroke and depression.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that this research was conducted without any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as potential conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Identification of kidney endothelial cells. (a) UMAP plot shows 14 cell clusters in kidney. Cells in the red box are endothelial cells. (b) Feature plot shows the expression and distribution of 4 feature genes carried by endothelial cells. (c) Laser confocal microscopy reveals the phenotype of endothelial cells in kidney. (d) The comparison of endothelial cell frequency as analyzed by scRNA-seq and laser confocal microscopy.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Integrate analysis reveals endothelial cell heterogeneity. (a) UMAP plot shows the integrated analysis of brain and kidney endothelial cells, with 7 subpopulations classified: EC (B2M), EC (Ptn), EC (Sulf2), EC (Sncg), EC (Mapt), EC (Rpl38), and EC (Col6a1). (b) Violin plots show the expression level of 7 feature genes as identified from 7 endothelial cell subpopulations, namely, B2M, Ptn, Sulf2, Sncg, Mapt, Rpl38, and Col6a1. (c) Heat map shows the distinction between top 10 genes expressed in each endothelial cell subpopulation. (d) Split UMAPs show the comparison between endothelial cell subpopulations in the brain and kidney. (e) Stacked bar plot shows the comparison between endothelial cell subpopulations in brain and kidney.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Brain EC (B2M) and EC (Col6a1) exhibited upregulated genes related to stroke and depression. (a) Venn-pie chart shows the DEGs shared between EC (Ptn) and EC (Col6a1) and brain EC/kidney EC. (b) Volcano plots show the distribution of DEGs in EC (Ptn) and EC (Col6a1), respectively. Only log2FC > 0 and p < 0.05 are indicated by the plots. (c) Split feature plot shows the distribution and comparison of stroke and depression related genes in brain and kidney endothelial cells.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Brain EC (B2M) and EC(Col6a1) possess tumor/cancer-related pathways. (a) Dot plots show the enriched GO signaling pathways of the EC (Ptn) and EC (Col6a1), brain vs. kidney. (b) Gene-concept-network analysis of EC (Ptn) and EC (Col6a1), brain vs. kidney. (c) GSEA analysis reveals the upregulated or downregulated DEGs in the pathways (brain vs. kidney).
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