Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42091897›Full record

ArticleNature communications2026

A single-cell atlas revealing cellular heterogeneity across healthy and diseased human thymus.

Martin Direder, Matthias Wielscher, Melanie Salek, Maria Laggner, Dragan Copic, Katharina Klas, Daniel Bormann, Bahar Golabi, Hannes Kühtreiber, Marie-Therese Lingitz and 7 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Nature communications, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing 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

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
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

17 authors.

Martin DirederLaboratory for Cardiac and Thoracic Diagnosis, Regeneration and Applied Immunology, Department of Thoracic Surgery, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7078-4432
Matthias WielscherDepartment of Dermatology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4138-1383
Melanie SalekDepartment of Dermatology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0000-2976-1880
Maria LaggnerLaboratory for Cardiac and Thoracic Diagnosis, Regeneration and Applied Immunology, Department of Thoracic Surgery, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Dragan CopicLaboratory for Cardiac and Thoracic Diagnosis, Regeneration and Applied Immunology, Department of Thoracic Surgery, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1005-2985
Katharina KlasLaboratory for Cardiac and Thoracic Diagnosis, Regeneration and Applied Immunology, Department of Thoracic Surgery, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Daniel BormannLaboratory for Cardiac and Thoracic Diagnosis, Regeneration and Applied Immunology, Department of Thoracic Surgery, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Bahar GolabiDepartment of Dermatology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Hannes KühtreiberDepartment of Dermatology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0005-8797-5840
Marie-Therese LingitzLaboratory for Cardiac and Thoracic Diagnosis, Regeneration and Applied Immunology, Department of Thoracic Surgery, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Leonhard MüllauerDepartment of Pathology, Medical University Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Ana-Iris SchieferDepartment of Pathology, Medical University Vienna, Vienna, Austria.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3555-8672
Wolfgang WeningerDepartment of Dermatology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Clemens AignerDepartment of Thoracic Surgery, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7787-991X
Hendrik Jan Ankersmit *Laboratory for Cardiac and Thoracic Diagnosis, Regeneration and Applied Immunology, Department of Thoracic Surgery, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria. hendrik.ankersmit@meduniwien.ac.at.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8761-3517
Michael Mildner *Department of Dermatology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria. michael.mildner@meduniwien.ac.at.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6892-925X
Bernhard Moser *Department of Thoracic Surgery, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6037-5475

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The human thymus plays a key role in the development of the adaptive immune system. Its development and pathologic aberrations with missing involution occupy the scientific world for years. Here, we present a comprehensive single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) analysis of 453,727 cells across 53 datasets derived from healthy prenatal, pediatric, and adult thymic tissues, as well as six pathological conditions, including thymic hyperplasia and thymic epithelial tumors (types A, AB, B, C, and micronodular thymoma). We created a high-resolution cellular atlas revealing disease-specific cellular populations and transcriptional programs, particularly within fibroblast subsets and thymic epithelial cells. Comparative analysis uncovers distinct intercellular communication patterns and identifies transcriptional alterations associated with thymic pathology. Integration with published bulk RNA-seq datasets supports the robustness and translational relevance of our findings. This study provides a foundational resource for understanding the cellular and molecular landscape of thymic development and disease, offering avenues for diagnostic and therapeutic innovations.

Indexed as

Single-Cell AnalysisThymomaThymus GlandThymus HyperplasiaThymus NeoplasmsAdultEpithelial CellsFemaleFibroblastsGene Expression ProfilingHumansRNA-SeqSequence Analysis, RNASingle-Cell Gene Expression Analysis

Identifiers

PMID42091897
PMCPMC13358159

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

None linked

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.