Distinct niche structures and intrinsic programs of fallopian tube and ovarian surface epithelial cells
Guyu Qin,
Eun-Sil Park,
Xueqing Chen,
Sen Han,
Dongxi Xiang,
Fang Ren,
Gang Liu,
Huidong Chen,
Guo-Cheng Yuan,
Zhe Li
Affiliations
Guyu Qin
Division of Genetics, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
Eun-Sil Park
Division of Genetics, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
Xueqing Chen
Division of Genetics, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
Sen Han
Division of Genetics, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
Dongxi Xiang
Division of Genetics, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
Fang Ren
Division of Genetics, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
Gang Liu
Division of Genetics, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
Huidong Chen
Department of Biostatistics and Computational Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02215, USA
Guo-Cheng Yuan
Department of Biostatistics and Computational Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02215, USA
Zhe Li
Division of Genetics, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Corresponding author
Summary: Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) can originate from either fallopian tube epithelial (FTE) or ovarian surface epithelial (OSE) cells, but with different latencies and disease outcomes. To address the basis of these differences, we performed single cell RNA-sequencing of mouse cells isolated from the distal half of fallopian tube (FT) and surface layer of ovary. We find at the molecular level, FTE secretory stem/progenitor cells and OSE cells resemble mammary luminal progenitors and basal cells, respectively. An FT stromal subpopulation, enriched with Pdgfra+ and Esr1+ cells, expresses multiple secreted factor (e.g., IGF1) and Hedgehog pathway genes and may serve as a niche for FTE cells. In contrast, Lgr5+ OSE cells express similar genes largely by themselves, raising a possibility that they serve as their own niche. The differences in intrinsic expression programs and niche organizations of FTE and OSE cells may contribute to their different courses toward the development of EOCs.
