Histological signatures map anti-fibrotic factors in mouse and human lungs

Jason L. Guo, Michelle Griffin, Jung-Ki Yoon, David M. Lopez, Yili Zhu, John M. Lu, Georgios Mikos, Jennifer B. L. Parker, Shamik Mascharak, Camille Brenac, Nicholas J. Guardino, Darren B. Abbas, Dayan J. Li, Caleb Valencia, Norah E. Liang, Michael Januszyk, Howard Y. Chang, Derrick C. Wan, Tushar J. Desai and Michael T. Longaker ()
Additional contact information
Jason L. Guo: Stanford University School of Medicine
Michelle Griffin: Stanford University School of Medicine
Jung-Ki Yoon: Stanford University School of Medicine
David M. Lopez: Stanford University School of Medicine
Yili Zhu: Stanford University
John M. Lu: Stanford University School of Medicine
Georgios Mikos: Stanford University School of Medicine
Jennifer B. L. Parker: Stanford University School of Medicine
Shamik Mascharak: Stanford University School of Medicine
Camille Brenac: Stanford University School of Medicine
Nicholas J. Guardino: Stanford University School of Medicine
Darren B. Abbas: Stanford University School of Medicine
Dayan J. Li: Stanford University School of Medicine
Caleb Valencia: Stanford University School of Medicine
Norah E. Liang: Stanford University School of Medicine
Michael Januszyk: Stanford University School of Medicine
Howard Y. Chang: Stanford University
Derrick C. Wan: Stanford University School of Medicine
Tushar J. Desai: Stanford University School of Medicine
Michael T. Longaker: Stanford University School of Medicine

Nature, 2025, vol. 641, issue 8064, 993-1004

Abstract: Abstract Fibrosis, the replacement of healthy tissue with collagen-rich matrix, can occur following injury in almost every organ1,2. Mouse lungs follow a stereotyped sequence of fibrogenesis-to-resolution after bleomycin injury3, and we reasoned that profiling post-injury histological stages could uncover pro-fibrotic versus anti-fibrotic features with functional value for human fibrosis. Here we quantified spatiotemporally resolved matrix transformations for integration with multi-omic data. First, we charted stepwise trajectories of matrix aberration versus resolution, derived from a high-dimensional set of histological fibre features, that denoted a reversible transition in uniform-to-disordered histological architecture. Single-cell sequencing along these trajectories identified temporally enriched ‘ECM-secreting’ (Csmd1-expressing) and ‘pro-resolving’ (Cd248-expressing) fibroblasts at the respective post-injury stages. Visium-based spatial analysis further suggested divergent matrix architectures and spatial–transcriptional neighbourhoods by fibroblast subtype, identifying distinct fibrotic versus non-fibrotic biomolecular milieu. Critically, pro-resolving fibroblast instillation helped to ameliorate fibrosis in vivo. Furthermore, the fibroblast neighbourhood-associated factors SERPINE2 and PI16 functionally modulated human lung fibrosis ex vivo. Spatial phenotyping of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis at protein level additionally uncovered analogous fibroblast subtypes and neighbourhoods in human disease. Collectively, these findings establish an atlas of pro- and anti-fibrotic factors that underlie lung matrix architecture and implicate fibroblast-associated biological features in modulating fibrotic progression versus resolution.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1038/s41586-025-08727-3

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