In a study published in the US journal Science Advances, a single cell type map of human tissues is presented. An open access atlas has been launched with more than 250,000 interactive plots to allow researchers to explore the expression in individual single cell types for all protein-coding genes in these tissues. The new knowledge portal has been created as part of the version 20 of the Sweden-based Human Protein Atlas program (www.proteinatlas.org), combining single cell data with antibody-based profiling to allow a holistic cell-, tissue- and organ-wide map of the proteins across the human body to act as a basis for research in human biology and disease. The analysis highlights distinct expression clusters corresponding to cell types sharing similar functions, both within the same organs and between organs. More data were added to the version 21 to included single cell transcriptomics data for altogether 25 tissues, including also brain.

Key publications

• Karlsson M et al., A single-cell type transcriptomics map of human tissues. Sci Adv. (2021)
  PubMed: 34321199 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abh2169