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Published on: November 3, 2023
A Hormone Cell Atlas maps the human endocrine system at cellular resolution.
Lijiang Fei1, Isabel Huang-Doran2, Katherine Lawler2
1Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
Science (New York, N.Y.)
|May 28, 2026
Summary
This study maps hormone-producing and receiving cells across 47 human tissues, revealing new endocrine roles and interactions. The Hormone Cell Atlas provides a framework to understand hormonal impact on health and disease.
Area of Science:
- Endocrinology
- Genomics
- Cell Biology
Background:
- Hormones are crucial signaling molecules coordinating physiological functions across tissues.
- Understanding cell-type specific hormone expression is vital for deciphering endocrine regulation.
- Existing atlases lack comprehensive endocrine system mapping at single-cell resolution.
Purpose of the Study:
- To create a comprehensive map of hormone and receptor gene expression across diverse human tissues at single-cell resolution.
- To identify novel hormone-producing and hormone-receiving cell types and define endocrine signatures.
- To explore the role of endocrine signaling in health and disease, including adipocyte differentiation and monogenic disorders.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of a large-scale transcriptomic dataset (14 million single cells/nuclei) from 47 human tissues.
- Utilized the `hormone2cell` tool for mapping hormone-producing and receiving cell types.
- Integrated adipocyte datasets to investigate dynamic endocrine programs during differentiation and across depots.
Main Results:
- Mapped expression of 379 hormone and receptor genes, identifying tissue-specific and cross-tissue endocrine signatures.
- Discovered non-classical sites of hormone expression, such as secretin in plasmacytoid dendritic cells.
- Inferred convergent hormone actions, endocrine feedback loops, and implicated cell populations in monogenic endocrine disorders.
- Uncovered dynamic endocrine programs within adipocytes across different depots and during differentiation.
Conclusions:
- The Hormone Cell Atlas provides an unprecedented framework for understanding the endocrine system's complexity.
- This resource facilitates the dissection of hormonal impact on human physiology, health, and disease.
- Identified novel cellular players and interactions within the endocrine system, opening new avenues for research.
Related Concept Videos
00:59Structures of the Endocrine System
The intricate framework of the endocrine system encompasses a diverse array of glands, with their target tissues and organs strategically distributed throughout the body. Central to this network are the endocrine glands, specialized structures that lack ducts and release hormones directly into the interstitial fluid. Notably, the hypothalamus, a vital neuroendocrine organ situated in the brain, governs neural functions and serves as a potent source of hormonal regulation. Near the hypothalamus...
00:46What is the Endocrine System?
The endocrine system sends hormones—chemical signals—through the bloodstream to target cells—the cells the hormones selectively affect. These signals are produced in endocrine cells, secreted into the extracellular fluid, and then diffuse into the blood. Eventually, they diffuse out of the blood and bind to target cells which have specialized receptors to recognize the hormones.
01:10An Overview of the Endocrine System
The endocrine system, a complex network of glands, orchestrates physiological balance within the body through the production and secretion of hormones. These hormones are chemical messengers in intercellular communication, acting as conduits between the secretory cells and distant target sites. They traverse the circulatory system by being released into the extracellular fluid, and their impact is specific to cells possessing receptors for a particular hormone.
The endocrine system collaborates...
The endocrine system collaborates...
01:45Endocrine Signaling
Endocrine cells produce hormones to communicate with remote target cells found in other organs. The hormone reaches these distant areas using the circulatory system. This exposes the whole organism to the hormone but only those cells expressing hormone receptors or target cells are affected. Thus, endocrine signaling induces slow responses from its target cells but these effects also last longer.
01:45Endocrine Signaling
Endocrine cells produce hormones to communicate with remote target cells found in other organs. The hormone reaches these distant areas using the circulatory system. This exposes the whole organism to the hormone but only those cells expressing hormone receptors or target cells are affected. Thus, endocrine signaling induces slow responses from its target cells but these effects also last longer.
01:08Intracellular Hormone Receptors
Lipid-soluble hormones diffuse across the plasma and nuclear membrane of target cells to bind to their specific intracellular receptors. These receptors act as transcription factors that regulate gene expression and protein synthesis in the target cell