Abstract：
The submandibular gland (SMG) and sublingual gland (SLG) are two of three major salivary glands in mammals and comprise serous and mucous acinar cells. The two glands share some functional properties, which are largely dependent on the types of acinar cells. In recent years, while ScRNA-seq (single-cell sequencing) with a 10 × platform has been used to explore molecular markers in salivary glands, few studies have examined the acinar heterogeneity and unique molecular markers between SMG and SLG. This study aimed to identify the molecular markers of acinar cells in the SLG and SMG. We performed ScRNA-seq analyses in 4-week-old mice and verified the screened molecular markers using reverse transcription-quantitative real-time PCR, immunohistochemistry, and immunofluorescence. Our results showed prominently heterogeneous acinar cells, although there was great similarity in the cluster composition between the two glands at 4 weeks. Furthermore, we demonstrated that Agt is a specific marker of SMG serous acinar cells, whereas Gal is a specific marker of SLG mucous acinar cells. Trajectory inference revealed that Agt and Gal represent two types of differential acinar cell clusters during late development in adults. Thus, we reveal previously unknown specific markers for salivary acinar cell diversity, which has extensive implications for their further functional research.
摘要：
下颌下腺（SMG）和舌下腺（SLG）是哺乳动物的三个主要唾液腺中的两个，包含浆液和粘液腺泡细胞。这两个腺体共有一些功能特性，这在很大程度上取决于腺泡细胞的类型。近年来,而具有10倍平台的ScRNA-seq（单细胞测序）已用于探索唾液腺中的分子标记，很少有研究检查SMG和SLG之间的腺泡异质性和独特的分子标记。本研究旨在鉴定SLG和SMG中腺泡细胞的分子标志物。我们在4周龄（W）的小鼠中进行了ScRNA-seq分析，并使用RT-qPCR验证了筛选的分子标记，免疫组织化学，和免疫荧光。我们的结果显示了显著的异质性腺泡细胞，尽管在4W时两个腺体之间的簇组成有很大的相似性。此外，我们证明Agt是SMG浆液性腺泡细胞的特异性标记，而Gal是SLG粘液腺泡细胞的特异性标志物。轨迹推断表明，Agt和Gal代表了成人晚期发育过程中两种类型的差异腺泡细胞簇。因此，我们揭示了先前未知的唾液腺泡细胞多样性的特异性标记，这对他们进一步的功能研究具有广泛的意义。
