Cell Lineage Tracing Identifies Hormone-Regulated and Wnt-Responsive Vaginal Epithelial Stem Cells

• Main Authors: Ayesha Ali, Shafiq M. Syed, M. Fairuz B. Jamaluddin, Yolanda Colino-Sanguino, David Gallego-Ortega, Pradeep S. Tanwar
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier 2020-02-01
• Series: Cell Reports
• Online Access: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211124720300036

Summary: The intact vaginal epithelium is essential for women’s reproductive health and provides protection against HIV and sexually transmitted infections. How this epithelium maintains itself remains poorly understood. Here, we used single-cell RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) to define the diverse cell populations in the vaginal epithelium. We show that vaginal epithelial cell proliferation is limited to the basal compartment without any obvious label-retaining cells. Furthermore, we developed vaginal organoids and show that the basal cells have increased organoid forming efficiency. Importantly, Axin2 marks a self-renewing subpopulation of basal cells that gives rise to differentiated cells over time. These cells are ovariectomy-resistant stem cells as they proliferate even in the absence of hormones. Upon hormone supplementation, these cells expand and reconstitute the entire vaginal epithelium. Wnt/β-catenin is essential for the proliferation and differentiation of vaginal stem cells. Together, these data define heterogeneity in vaginal epithelium and identify vaginal epithelial stem cells. : Abnormalities in vaginal epithelium, the first line of defense against pathogens, are associated with sexually transmitted diseases and vaginal atrophy. Ali et al. show that CD271+Axin2+ basal cells are vaginal stem cells that are responsible for epithelial homeostasis and regeneration, providing fundamental insights into the maintenance of this epithelial barrier. Keywords: β-catenin, stem cells, organoids, single-cell sequencing, sexually transmitted infections, reproductive tract, Wnt