Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40179332›Full record

ArticlePLoS computational biology2025

SpaMask: Dual masking graph autoencoder with contrastive learning for spatial transcriptomics.

Wenwen Min, Donghai Fang, Jinyu Chen, Shihua Zhang

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in PLoS computational biology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 31 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
31citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

31 citing papers in PubMed.

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  16. S3RL: Enhancing Spatial Single-Cell Transcriptomics With Separable Representation Learning.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2026
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Wenwen MinSchool of Information Science and Engineering, Yunnan University, Kunming, Yunnan, China.ORCID 0000-0002-2558-2911
Donghai FangSchool of Information Science and Engineering, Yunnan University, Kunming, Yunnan, China.
Jinyu ChenSchool of Mathematics, Statistics and Mechanics, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, China.
Shihua ZhangNCMIS, CEMS, RCSDS, Academy of Mathematics and Systems Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.

Funding

Graduate Research and Innovation Fund Project of Yunnan UniversityNational Natural Science Foundation of ChinaScientific Research Fund Project of Yunnan Education DepartmentYoung Talent Program of Yunnan ProvinceYunnan Fundamental Research Project
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Understanding the spatial locations of cell within tissues is crucial for unraveling the organization of cellular diversity. Recent advancements in spatial resolved transcriptomics (SRT) have enabled the analysis of gene expression while preserving the spatial context within tissues. Spatial domain characterization is a critical first step in SRT data analysis, providing the foundation for subsequent analyses and insights into biological implications. Graph neural networks (GNNs) have emerged as a common tool for addressing this challenge due to the structural nature of SRT data. However, current graph-based deep learning approaches often overlook the instability caused by the high sparsity of SRT data. Masking mechanisms, as an effective self-supervised learning strategy, can enhance the robustness of these models. To this end, we propose SpaMask, dual masking graph autoencoder with contrastive learning for SRT analysis. Unlike previous GNNs, SpaMask masks a portion of spot nodes and spot-to-spot edges to enhance its performance and robustness. SpaMask combines Masked Graph Autoencoders (MGAE) and Masked Graph Contrastive Learning (MGCL) modules, with MGAE using node masking to leverage spatial neighbors for improved clustering accuracy, while MGCL applies edge masking to create a contrastive loss framework that tightens embeddings of adjacent nodes based on spatial proximity and feature similarity. We conducted a comprehensive evaluation of SpaMask on eight datasets from five different platforms. Compared to existing methods, SpaMask achieves superior clustering accuracy and effective batch correction.

Indexed as

Gene Expression ProfilingTranscriptomeAlgorithmsAutoencoderComputational BiologyDeep LearningHumansNeural Networks, Computer

Identifiers

PMID40179332
PMCPMC11968113

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.