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Updated: May 5, 2026

Imaging Cleared Embryonic and Postnatal Hearts at Single-cell Resolution
Published on: October 7, 2016
Region- and Cell-type-Resolved Multiomic Atlas of the Heart
Fan Zhang1, Yunzhi Wang2, Jiajun Zhu2
1Department of Pediatric Orthopedics, Xin Hua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University, School of Medicine, Shanghai, China; State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Human Phenome Institute, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China; Department of Pathology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA.
Insights
This study maps the heart proteome across cell types and regions in mice and humans. It reveals altered pathways in dilated cardiomyopathy and identifies all-trans retinoic acid as a potential heart failure treatment.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Biology
- Proteomics
- Molecular Cardiology
Background:
- Understanding the heart's molecular network is crucial for deciphering its function and disease mechanisms.
- Previous proteomic studies lacked cell-type and region-specific resolution.
- The molecular basis of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) requires further elucidation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To create a comprehensive cell-type and region-resolved proteome atlas of the mouse heart.
- To analyze regional proteomic differences in human hearts, including those with DCM.
- To identify potential therapeutic targets for heart failure.
Main Methods:
- In-depth proteomic analysis of mouse heart cell types and regions.
- Proteomic profiling of human heart tissues from four regions, comparing DCM and unaffected samples.
- Functional experiments to validate therapeutic potential of identified pathways.
Main Results:
- Identified 11,794 proteins across mouse heart cell types and 11,995 across regions.
- Quantified 8201 proteins in human DCM tissue and 8316 in adjacent healthy tissue.
- Found enrichment of the retinoic acid synthesis pathway in DCM ventricles; all-trans retinoic acid rescued heart failure models.
Conclusions:
- The study presents a panoramic heart proteome map, detailing cell-type and regional molecular features.
- Discovered altered transcription factor-target gene axes in DCM.
- Demonstrated the therapeutic efficacy of all-trans retinoic acid for heart failure, offering a valuable resource for cardiovascular research.
Abstract:
The heart is a vital muscular organ in vertebrate animals, responsible for maintaining blood circulation through rhythmic contraction. Although previous studies have investigated the heart proteome, the full hierarchical molecular network at cell-type- and region-resolved level, illustrating the specialized roles and crosstalk among different cell-types and regions, remains unclear. Here, we presented an atlas of cell-type-resolved proteome for mouse heart and region-resolved proteome for both mouse and human hearts. In-depth proteomic analysis identified 11,794 proteins across four cell-types and 11,995 proteins across six regions of the mouse heart. To further illustrate protein expression patterns in both physiological and pathological conditions, we conducted proteomic analysis on human heart samples from four regions with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). We quantified 8201 proteins in DCM tissue and 8316 proteins in adjacent unaffected myocardium tissue across the four human heart regions. Notably, we found that the retinoic acid synthesis pathway was significantly enriched in the DCM-affected left ventricle, and functional experiments demonstrated that all-trans retinoic acid efficiently rescued Ang II-induced myocardial hypertrophy and transverse aorta constriction-induced heart failure. In conclusion, our datasets uncovered the functional features of different cell-types and their synergistic cooperation centered by cell-type-specific transcription factors (TFs) in different regions, while these TF-TG (target gene) axes were significantly altered in DCM. Additionally, all-trans retinoic acid was demonstrated to be an efficient treatment for heart failure. This work presented a panoramic heart proteome map, offering a valuable resource for future cardiovascular research.
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