High-parametric protein maps reveal the spatial organization in early-developing human lung

The respiratory system, encompassing the lungs, trachea, and vasculature, is essential for terrestrial life. Although recent research has illuminated aspects of lung development, such as cell lineage origins and their molecular drivers, much of our knowledge is still based on animal models, or is deduced from transcriptome analyses. In this study, conducted within the Human Developmental Cell Atlas (HDCA) initiative, we describe the spatiotemporal organization of lung during the first trimester of human gestation in situ and at protein level. We used high-parametric tissue imaging on human lung samples, aged 6 to 13 post-conception weeks, using a 30-plex antibody panel. Our approach yielded over 2 million individual lung cells across five developmental timepoints, with an in-depth analysis of nearly 1 million cells. We present a spatially resolved cell type composition of the developing human lung, with a particular emphasis on their proliferative states, spatial arrangement traits, and their temporal evolution throughout lung development. We also offer new insights into the emerging patterns of immune cells during lung development. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the most extensive protein-level examination of the developing human lung. The generated dataset is a valuable resource for further research into the developmental roots of human respiratory health and disease.QC 20240411</p

Food-seeking behavior is triggered by skin ultraviolet exposure in males.

Sexual dimorphisms are responsible for profound metabolic differences in health and behavior. Whether males and females react differently to environmental cues, such as solar ultraviolet (UV) exposure, is unknown. Here we show that solar exposure induces food-seeking behavior, food intake, and food-seeking behavior and food intake in men, but not in women, through epidemiological evidence of approximately 3,000 individuals throughout the year. In mice, UVB exposure leads to increased food-seeking behavior, food intake and weight gain, with a sexual dimorphism towards males. In both mice and human males, increased appetite is correlated with elevated levels of circulating ghrelin. Specifically, UVB irradiation leads to p53 transcriptional activation of ghrelin in skin adipocytes, while a conditional p53-knockout in mice abolishes UVB-induced ghrelin expression and food-seeking behavior. In females, estrogen interferes with the p53-chromatin interaction on the ghrelin promoter, thus blocking ghrelin and food-seeking behavior in response to UVB exposure. These results identify the skin as a major mediator of energy homeostasis and may lead to therapeutic opportunities for sex-based treatments of endocrine-related diseases