Multi-organelle signatures map cell-state diversity and metabolic adaptation in tissues
Cell-state diversity drives tissue adaptability, repair, and disease resilience, but capturing this complexity is a challenge. Current approaches rely on transcriptional profiling and overlook organelle structure, a key indicator of metabolism and stress. We developed spatial Organellomics (sOrganellomics), an imaging workflow that integrates automated segmentation with machine learning to classify and spatially map cell states from multi-organelle signatures. In liver and pancreas, these signatures distinguished broad cellular classes. In liver, sOrganellomics revealed that zonal position did not fully explain organelle-defined hepatocyte categories. Instead, hepatocytes formed intermixed communities within canonical zones, supporting a refined subzonal diversity model. Nutritional stress reshaped this organization. Intravital imaging linked fasting-induced organelle remodeling with altered mitochondrial membrane potential in vivo, supporting multi-organelle architecture as a structural readout of tissue adaptation.
Authors
- Daniel Feliciano (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4742-4006)
- Isabel Espinosa-Medina (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0510-527X)
- Shihong Max Gao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3238-8348)
- Jan Funke (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4388-7783)
- Alexander Hillsley (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7920-2104)
- Raghabendra Adhikari (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-8561-4456)
- Alana Dowdell Johnson (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0003-8325-5470)
Institutions
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute (US)
- Janelia Research Campus (US)
- Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (United States) (US)
- Division of Undergraduate Education (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Science
- Published
- 2026-09-17
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1126/science.ady6372
- Primary Topic
- Liver physiology and pathology
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00