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Subcellular mRNA localization patterns across tissues resolved with spatial transcriptomics

Novoselsky, R.; Golani, O.; Barkai, T.; Kedmi, M.; Goliand, I.; Fine, M.; Kent, I.; Nachmany, I.; Itzkovitz, S.

2025-09-09 systems biology
10.1101/2025.09.07.674688 bioRxiv
Show abstract

Subcellular RNA localization, including nuclear retention and apical-basal compartmentalization in polarized epithelia plays a central role in post-transcriptional regulation. However, methods for high-throughput mapping of mRNA localization within intact tissue sections remain limited. Here, we apply high-resolution spatial transcriptomics (VisiumHD) to systematically resolve intracellular mRNA localization across diverse mammalian tissues. We introduce a computational approach that extracts subcellular features from spatial data and quantifies transcript localization patterns. Using this framework, we map apical-basal mRNA localization and nuclear retention in gastrointestinal epithelia and in liver hepatocytes. Our analyses reveal conserved and tissue-specific localization signatures that can be readily obtained from standard high-definition spatial transcriptomics experiments. This approach broadens the scope of spatial transcriptomics by enabling routine investigation of intracellular RNA distributions in both healthy and diseased tissues.

Published in Nature Communications (predicted rank #1) · training set

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