Single?cell transcriptome profiling reveals molecular heterogeneity in human umbilical cord tissue and culture?expanded mesenchymal stem cells

Human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (UMSCs) demonstrate great therapeutic potential in regenerative medicine. The use of UMSCs for clinical applications requires high quantity and good quality usually by vitro expansion. However, the heterogeneity characteristics cultured cognate human cord tissue at single-cell resolution remain poorly defined. In this study, we created a transcriptome profile culture-expanded UMSCs. Based on inferred cell clusters trajectory analysis, identified three subgroups putative novel transcription factors (TFs) regulating UMSC state transition. Further, ligand–receptor interaction analysis demonstrated that cellular interactions most frequently occurred epithelial-like with other groups tissue. Moreover, dissected transcriptomic differences vivo telomere-related molecules pathways might be activated expansion vitro. Our study provides comprehensive integrative transcriptomics their cognate-cultured counterparts, which paves way deeper understanding offers fundamental biological insight UMSCs-based therapy.