April 4, 2022

Jun Li and Sue Hammoud Labs Publish New Study

new study creates a detailed 'atlas' of the various cell types and their gene activities within the highly specialized fallopian tube, paving the way for new research into infertility and other diseases affecting this organ, including some cancers. 

The fallopian tube is the site of fertilization, where once a month for the duration of a female's post-pubescent, pre-menopausal life, an egg is moved from the ovary, ready for fertilization by a sperm cell.  A new study from Michigan Medicine researchers creates a detailed "atlas" of the various cell types and their gene activities within the highly specialized fallopian tube, paving the way for new research into infertility and other diseases affecting this organ, including some cancers.

Using tissue samples from four premenopausal women, Saher Sue Hammoud, Ph.D., and Jun Li, Ph.D. from the Department of Human Genetics led a team at U-M to analyze almost 60,000 cells by single-cell RNA sequencing. They used the data to characterize the diversity of cells that make up the fallopian tube, including both the lining of the tube (the epithelium) and the deeper stromal layer, consisting of immune, blood, muscle, and other cells.