Fluorescence-Guided Spatial Mapping of p21-Expressing Senescent Cells in Aged Liver at Single-Cell Resolution
) state than their resting counterparts. Transcriptomic profiling of p21-expressing cells indicated heterogeneous senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) programs, with distinct inflammatory and remodeling signatures across cell identities and their spatial positions. In parallel, we identified an aggregation of interferon-stimulated gene (ISG)-expressing cells with limited overlap with p21 positivity, suggesting a distinct aging-associated stress program. Taken together, our fluorescence-guided spatial transcriptomic framework enables high-resolution, single-cell mapping of senescence in situ, delineating both senescent cell type specificity and cell identity-independent senescence programs, thereby advancing a more comprehensive understanding of regulatory mechanisms underlying aging.
Authors
- Yichen Si (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5576-3054)
- J Y Lee
- Ming Xu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0816-7046)
- Jer-En Hsu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2968-1853)
- Weiqiu Cheng (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4001-8662)
- Yongha Hwang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4345-581X)
- Hyun-Min Kang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4533-3784)
- Qingyang Zhao
Institutions
- University of Minnesota (US)
- University of Michigan (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Biomolecules
- Published
- 2026-04-14
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3390/biom16040579
- Primary Topic
- Telomeres, Telomerase, and Senescence
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Chan Zuckerberg Initiative