Fibroblast specialization across microanatomy in a single-cell atlas of human Achilles tendon
We present the first spatially resolved single-cell atlas of the human Achilles tendon. By sampling across the microanatomy of the tendon from enthesis to muscle, we demonstrate changes in fibroblast composition across this transitional tissue. Distinct fibroblast subsets were discovered with specific transcriptomic signatures, and several were found in distinct spatial locations corresponding to putative functional roles in tendon and adjoining muscle. These findings demonstrate how cellular diversity across a transitional tissue may underlie microanatomical-specific roles.
Authors
- Alina Kurjan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4503-7865)
- C. L. M. H. Gibbons (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1378-9173)
- Tracy Boakye Serebour (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4638-1921)
- Chinemerem T. Ikwuanusi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0006-3517-9575)
- C. Cohen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8398-0010)
- Mathew Baldwin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8790-9975)
- Raja Bhaskara Rajasekaran (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0378-7411)
- Kévin Rue-Albrecht (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3899-3872)
- P A Hulley (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4994-2264)
- Ali Cenk Aksu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6525-3602)
- S. Sharma (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0002-6002-9350)
- Harriet Branford-White (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6127-1651)
- Claudia Paul (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9729-7135)
- Thomas D. A. Cosker (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9505-7955)
- Duncan Whitwell
- Jolet Y. Mimpen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4464-242X)
- Sarah Snelling (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7052-3793)
- Ather Siddiqi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5019-2467)
- A P Cribbs
- David Sims
- Lorenzo Ramos-Mucci
- Marina Nikolic
- Stephen Gwilym
Institutions
- University of Oxford (GB)
Publication Details
- Journal
- American Journal of Physiology-Cell Physiology
- Published
- 2026-04-01
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1152/ajpcell.00838.2025
- Primary Topic
- Tendon Structure and Treatment
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Chan Zuckerberg Initiative
- Arthritis Research UK
- Rhodes Scholarships
- Medical Research Council
- NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre