Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42881179›Full record

ArticleNature communications2026

Spatial transcriptomics unveils the in situ cellular and molecular hallmarks of the lung in fatal COVID-19.

Carlos A Garcia-Prieto, Eva Musulen, Daniela Grases, Veronica Davalos, Gerardo Ferrer, Belén Pérez-Miés, Tamara Caniego-Casas, José Palacios, Xavier Saenz-Sardà, Elisabet Englund and 2 more

Abstract read
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In one paragraph

Article in Nature communications, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing 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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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

12 authors.

Carlos A Garcia-PrietoCancer Epigenetics Group, Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute (IJC), Barcelona, Spain.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5021-6916
Eva MusulenCancer Epigenetics Group, Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute (IJC), Barcelona, Spain.
Daniela GrasesCancer Immunogenomics Group, Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute (IJC), Barcelona, Spain.
Veronica DavalosCancer Epigenetics Group, Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute (IJC), Barcelona, Spain.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4077-5137
Gerardo FerrerCancer Epigenetics Group, Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute (IJC), Barcelona, Spain.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4084-6815
Belén Pérez-MiésCentro de Investigacion Biomedica en Red Cancer (CIBERONC), Madrid, Spain.
Tamara Caniego-CasasCentro de Investigacion Biomedica en Red Cancer (CIBERONC), Madrid, Spain.
José PalaciosCentro de Investigacion Biomedica en Red Cancer (CIBERONC), Madrid, Spain.
Xavier Saenz-SardàDepartment of Clinical Sciences Lund, Division of Pathology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
Elisabet EnglundDepartment of Clinical Sciences Lund, Division of Pathology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
Eduard PortaLife Sciences Department, Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC), Barcelona, Spain.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7900-4239
Manel EstellerCancer Epigenetics Group, Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute (IJC), Barcelona, Spain. mesteller@santpau.cat.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4490-6093

Funding

Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness | Agencia Estatal de Investigación (Spanish Agencia Estatal de Investigación) PID2024-159192OB-I00
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Severe Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) can induce progressive diffuse alveolar damage (DAD) leading to fatal outcomes. Here, we leveraged data from Visium spatial transcriptomics for COVID-19 and control lung samples to unravel insights into cellular and molecular events driving lethal COVID-19. We report a progressive loss of endothelial cell types, pneumocytes type I and natural killer cells coupled with a continuous increase of myeloid and stromal cells, mostly peribronchial fibroblasts, across acute and proliferative DAD. Spatial organization analysis also identified specific compartmentalization including immune-specific clusters across DAD patterns. Importantly, spatially informed ligand-receptor interaction analysis revealed intercellular communication signatures defining COVID-19 induced DAD. Transcription factor activity enrichment analysis identified the TGF-β pathway as DAD driver, highlighting the antagonizing roles of SMAD3 and SMAD7 activity during fibrosis. Integration of these data yielded a signaling kinase pathway in peribronchial fibroblasts with amenable novel targets. Finally, spatio-temporal trajectory analysis characterized an alveolar epithelium regeneration program.

Indexed as

COVID-19LungAlveolar Epithelial CellsEndothelial CellsFibroblastsHumansKiller Cells, NaturalPulmonary AlveoliSARS-CoV-2Signal TransductionSpatial TranscriptomicsTranscriptomeTransforming Growth Factor betaTransforming Growth Factor beta

Identifiers

PMID42881179

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
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.