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Study dataset

Cellular heterogeneity of human fallopian tubes in normal and hydrosalpinx disease states

10x scRNA-seq of healthy premenopausal and hydrosalpinx fallopian tubes.

Listed May 5, 2026

  • Single-cell
  • Transcriptomic

Overview

Cellular heterogeneity of human fallopian tubes in normal and hydrosalpinx disease states (Ulrich et al., 2022) presents a single-cell RNA-seq atlas of the human fallopian tube (FT) in both healthy and diseased states. The fallopian tube is a dynamically regulated organ essential for gamete and embryo transport, comprising three anatomic segments (fimbria, ampulla, isthmus) with epithelial and stromal compartments whose composition shifts with hormonal cycle, menopause, and disease.

The authors therefore set out to (1) build a high-resolution baseline atlas of FT cellular heterogeneity in healthy premenopausal women, (2) identify and molecularly characterize candidate progenitor populations relevant to tissue homeostasis and potential malignant transformation, and (3) directly compare healthy and hydrosalpinx tubes to uncover cell type–specific molecular changes that could reveal disease mechanisms and nominate druggable pathways. A particular focus was whether hydrosalpinx shares fibrotic mechanisms with diseases of other organs (e.g., idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, chronic kidney disease), since this would open the door to repurposing existing anti-fibrotic therapies.

Data Generated

The study produced single-cell RNA-seq (scRNA-seq) data from human fallopian tube tissue using the 10X Genomics Chromium platform, sequenced on Illumina NovaSeq.

Inside the dataset

  • Healthy cohort

    59,738 pass-QC cells from 4 premenopausal subjects (ages 30–52), with most samples dissected into three anatomic segments (fimbria, ampulla, isthmus) — yielding 10 datasets total. Average ~2,603 detected genes and ~10,530 UMIs per cell.

  • Disease cohort

    17,798 pass-QC cells from 2 premenopausal patients (ages 32 and 34) with hydrosalpinx/tubal factor infertility, across 3 datasets. Average ~2,780 detected genes and ~11,683 UMIs per cell.

Research focus

  1. 12 major cell types

    in healthy FT spanning epithelial, stromal, and immune compartments.

  2. 10 epithelial subtypes

    resolved: 4 ciliated (CE1-1 to CE1-4) and 6 non-ciliated secretory (NCSE2-1 to NCSE2-6).

  3. Two putative progenitor pools

    identified by RNA velocity: NCSE2-5 (LGR5⁺ peg-like) feeds mature secretory cells, while NCSE2-2 (ACTA2⁺/PRRX1⁺ EMT-like) is bipotent, giving rise to ciliated cells and blood endothelial cells.

  4. Hydrosalpinx shows major compositional shifts

    loss of epithelial, smooth muscle, pericyte, and endothelial cells; expansion of fibroblasts and macrophages.

  5. Progenitor rebalancing in disease

    reduced LGR5 in NCSE2-5 with increased EMT/mesenchymal stem markers and ovarian cancer–associated genes.

  6. Fibrosis signature

    cell type–specific upregulation of ECM genes and TGF-β pathway effectors (TGFB1, PDGFB, CCN2, YAP1) without TNF-α induction — supporting hydrosalpinx as a TGF-β–driven fibrotic disease and a candidate for anti-fibrotic therapy.

Publications