Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41863796›Full record

ArticleCell reports2026

Cellular and molecular landscapes of human tendons across the lifespan revealed by spatial and single-cell transcriptomics.

Alina Kurjan, Jolet Y Mimpen, Lorenzo Ramos-Mucci, Ali C Aksu, Carla J Cohen, Mate Naszai, Christopher D Buckley, Adam P Cribbs, Mathew J Baldwin, Sarah J B Snelling

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Cell reports, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. The cellular basis of fibrotic tendon healing: now in higher definition.American journal of physiology. Cell physiology · 2026
    Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Alina KurjanBotnar Institute of Musculoskeletal Sciences, Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
Jolet Y MimpenBotnar Institute of Musculoskeletal Sciences, Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology, Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
Lorenzo Ramos-MucciBotnar Institute of Musculoskeletal Sciences, Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
Ali C AksuBotnar Institute of Musculoskeletal Sciences, Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
Carla J CohenBotnar Institute of Musculoskeletal Sciences, Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; Centre for Computational Biology, MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
Mate NaszaiSouthmead Hospital, North Bristol NHS Trust, Bristol, UK.
Christopher D BuckleyKennedy Institute of Rheumatology, Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
Adam P CribbsBotnar Institute of Musculoskeletal Sciences, Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
Mathew J BaldwinBotnar Institute of Musculoskeletal Sciences, Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
Sarah J B SnellingBotnar Institute of Musculoskeletal Sciences, Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK. Electronic address: sarah.snelling@ndorms.ox.ac.uk.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Tendon injuries are common and heal poorly, whereas developing tendons repair with minimal scarring; how this capacity declines with age remains poorly understood. Here, we combine histology, single-nucleus, single-cell, and spatial transcriptomic profiling of human Achilles and quadriceps tendons across embryonic, fetal, and adult stages, including ruptured adult tendons. We identify seven embryonic progenitor states that are predicted to contribute to three tendon-associated lineages-fibrillar, connective tissue, and chondrogenic-which diversify over development, occupy discrete spatial niches, and appear to acquire specialized roles in matrix synthesis, remodeling, and mechanical adaptation. While non-fibroblast populations remain transcriptionally stable with age, fibroblasts undergo marked reprogramming, shifting to homeostatic or injury-responsive states. In ruptured adult tendons, a subset of fibroblasts partially reactivates developmental programs yet remains transcriptionally distinct from developmental states that exhibit scarless healing. These findings define the cellular architecture of human tendon development and aging and reveal lineage-specific targets for therapeutic repair.

Indexed as

CP: developmental biologyCP: genomicsfibroblastshuman tendonsingle-cell RNA sequencingsingle-nucleus RNA sequencingspatial RNA sequencingtendon agingtendon developmenttendon differentiationtendon injurytranscriptomics

Identifiers

PMID41863796
PMCPMC13328346

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.