Family single-cell atlases reveal pig pregnancy and fetal growth restriction critical cell types
Summary
Although massive cell atlases are already available, it is still a challenge to obtain an atlas of all tissues within a single body, especially in fetuses and pregnant mothers. We present a transcriptomic atlas of 2.56 million single cells covering 115 and 119 tissues from one fetal pig and its pregnant mother, respectively. We found that a cluster of heart capillary endothelial cells with enhanced fatty acid transit capability was enriched for pregnancy but restored after gestation. We al
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# Family single-cell atlases reveal pig pregnancy and fetal growth restriction critical cell types
*Published: 2026 Mar 26*
Although massive cell atlases are already available, it is still a challenge to
obtain an atlas of all tissues within a single body, especially in fetuses and
pregnant mothers. We present a transcriptomic atlas of 2.56 million single cells
covering 115 and 119 tissues from one fetal pig and its pregnant mother,
respectively. We found that a cluster of heart capillary endothelial cells with
enhanced fatty acid transit capability was enriched for pregnancy but restored
after gestation. We also deciphered that l-leucine transport insufficiency in
the trophoblast causes fetal growth restriction by reducing a muscle type II
myofiber subcluster. Our "all-from-one" strategy enabled the identification of
tissue cell type-specific transcription factors and provided insights into
pregnancy heart adaptation and fetal growth restriction.
DOI: 10.1126/science.adu7265