Like hematopoiesis, erythropoiesis requires erythroid niches nurturing and support. We performed subcellular spatial transcriptomics to reveal the erythroid niches in human. Our results identified novel erythroid niches in human during development and stress.
import lamindb as ln
import spatialdata as sd
coll = ln.Collection.get(key="geo-gse271824")
coll.ordered_artifacts.df() # the 3 members, ordered
# download every member .zarr to the local cache:
paths = [a.cache() for a in coll.ordered_artifacts.all()]
# …or load each straight into memory as a SpatialData object:
sdatas = {a.key: sd.read_zarr(a.cache()) for a in coll.ordered_artifacts.all()}Erythroid cells require specialized microenvironments called erythroblastic islands (EBIs), niches comprising a central macrophage surrounded by developing erythroid precursors, to complete their maturation. Understanding EBI composition and function has been limited by two-dimensional in vitro models and the unclear composition of EBIs in human hematopoietic tissues. Using spatial transcriptomic mapping in mouse and human hematopoietic tissues during development and under stress conditions, we show that EBI architecture is unexpectedly species-specific. In mice, C1q-expressing macrophages serve as a hallmark of EBI central macrophages and mediate clearance of ejected erythroid nuclei. In humans, however, EBIs are characterized by macrophage-independent erythroid clusters in fetal liver and bone marrow, whose integrity depends critically on the adhesion molecule ICAM4. These human erythroid clusters are disrupted in myeloid diseases but can be restored with therapy. These findings redefine conventional models of erythroid niche biology and establish a framework for understanding niche dynamics across species.
10x Xenium 
10x Xenium 
10x Xenium No linked publication found — please cite the data source.