Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42839012›Full record

ArticleNature communications2026

Spatial transcriptomics reveals microenvironmental heterogeneity in osteoarthritic subchondral bone.

Weiqiang Lin, Xinyi Xiao, Di Tian, Yun Gong, Lei Huang, Woong-Ki Kim, Md Ariful Islam, Guihua Pan, Binghao Zou, Zhe Luo and 8 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
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 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing 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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. 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

18 authors.

Weiqiang LinTulane Center for Biomedical Informatics and Genomics, School of Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA.
Xinyi XiaoTulane Center for Biomedical Informatics and Genomics, School of Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA.
Di TianDepartment of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, School of Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA.
Yun GongTulane Center for Biomedical Informatics and Genomics, School of Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA.
Lei HuangSchool of Computing Sciences and Computer Engineering, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS, USA.
Woong-Ki KimTulane National Biomedical Research Center, Tulane University, Covington, LA, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-9964-185X
Md Ariful IslamTulane Center for Biomedical Informatics and Genomics, School of Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA.
Guihua PanDepartment of Structural and Cellular Biology, School of Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA.
Binghao ZouDepartment of Structural and Cellular Biology, School of Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA.
Zhe LuoTulane Center for Biomedical Informatics and Genomics, School of Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-6495-408X
Qing TianTulane Center for Biomedical Informatics and Genomics, School of Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-8624-8207
William ShermanDepartment of Orthopaedic Surgery, School of Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA.
Fernando SanchezDepartment of Orthopaedic Surgery, School of Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA.
Austin RossDepartment of Orthopaedic Surgery, School of Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA.
Chuan QiuTulane Center for Biomedical Informatics and Genomics, School of Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-6202-9229
Yi-Ping LiDepartment of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, School of Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-2188-6958
Hui ShenTulane Center for Biomedical Informatics and Genomics, School of Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-0335-6064
Hongwen DengTulane Center for Biomedical Informatics and Genomics, School of Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA. hdeng2@tulane.edu.ORCID 0000-0002-0387-8818

Funding

Trans-omics Integration of Multi-omics Studies for OsteoporosisU19AG055373 · NIA · TULANE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA · PI HONG-WEN DENG · 2017 to 2026
$24.3M
Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (Foundation for the National Institutes of Health, Inc.) U19AG055373NIA NIH HHS U19 AG055373
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Although increasing evidence implicates subchondral bone alterations in osteoarthritis, the spatial organization of subchondral bone remodeling remains unclear. Applying spatial transcriptomics to human subchondral bone, we identify a spatially conserved osteogenic core-halo architecture that displays transcriptional reprogramming in sclerotic microenvironments. Spatial dependency and a customized cell-cell communication framework reveal disrupted osteoblast-osteoclast spatial coupling, enhanced osteoblast-mesenchymal interactions, and identify FN1-SDC2 and COL1A1-DDR2 as candidate stromal-osteogenic signaling axes that may contribute to aberrant bone remodeling. Additionally, we present the in situ transcriptional landscape of osteocytes and reveal its potential regulatory role in aberrant bone remodeling. We further delineate a continuum of spatial ecotypes exhibiting distinct enrichment, spatial topology reorganization, and inter-ecotype communication rewiring across pathological states. Metabolic flux inference additionally reveals substrate-limited, stressed states across multiple ecotypes in sclerotic microenvironments. Collectively, our findings provide critical insights into aberrant subchondral bone remodeling in osteoarthritis and offer a valuable framework for future mechanistic studies and therapeutic exploration.

Indexed as

Bone and BonesCellular MicroenvironmentOsteoarthritisBone RemodelingCell CommunicationCollagen Type ICollagen Type I, alpha 1 ChainFemaleHumansMaleOsteoblastsOsteoclastsOsteocytesOsteogenesisSignal TransductionSpatial TranscriptomicsCollagen Type ICollagen Type I, alpha 1 Chain

Identifiers

PMID42839012
PMCPMC13642933

What OpenQuestion holds

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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.