{
  "abstract": "Cardiac neural crest-derived glial cells (CNGs) are recently identified glial cells that support cardiac autonomic innervation and maintain sympathetic-parasympathetic balance. Their fate in myocardial infarction (MI) is unknown. Here, we analyzed 16 human cardiac spatial transcriptomes spanning normal myocardium (n=4), infarct zone (n=5), border zone (inner, n=1; outer, n=3), and remote zone (n=3). CNGs (S100B+/GFAP+, CD68- spots) were selectively lost along a spatial gradient from healthy tissue to the infarct core (Spearman rho = -0.92, p = 4.5 x 10-7). Tissue-area-corrected analysis confirmed that CNG loss (26% retained in infarct zone vs. normal; p = 0.016) vastly exceeded overall tissue loss, indicating selective vulnerability rather than bulk tissue destruction. Mechanistically, oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) activity in CNG-positive spots correlated positively with CNG survival (partial rho = 0.65, p = 0.009 after controlling for spot composition), consistent with a high metabolic demand underlying their ischemic sensitivity. Pyroptosis - but not ferroptosis or apoptosis - signatures correlated with CNG loss (partial rho = -0.67, p = 0.006). These findings identify CNGs as selectively vulnerable cellular components of the cardiac autonomic system in MI and nominate metabolic failure and pyroptosis as candidate mechanisms, providing a spatially resolved foundation for future mechanistic and interventional studies.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Anhui College of Traditional Chinese Medicine"
  ],
  "article_type": "New results",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 8,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "X. Xia"
    },
    {
      "name": "Y. Ding"
    },
    {
      "name": "X. Zhao"
    },
    {
      "name": "Q. He"
    },
    {
      "name": "H. Zhang"
    },
    {
      "name": "Y. Gu"
    },
    {
      "name": "H. Bai"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "D. Pan"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/bd1wg1x3pb2my.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.64898/2026.09.14.751638",
  "fulltext_url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.14.751638v1.full",
  "id": "bd1wg1x3pb2my",
  "issns": [],
  "landing_url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.14.751638v1",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "biorxiv",
      "bioinformatics"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "2705|Cardiac Fibrosis and Remodeling"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7214017866",
  "pdf_url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.14.751638v1.full.pdf",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-09-14",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/bd1wg1x3pb2my.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:23:53Z",
      "native_id": "10.64898/2026.09.14.751638",
      "source": "biorxiv",
      "url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.14.751638v1"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "biorxiv:bioinformatics",
      "subfield": "bioinformatics"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Spatial transcriptomics reveals selective vulnerability of cardiac neural crest-derived glial cells in human myocardial infarction",
  "title_text": "Spatial transcriptomics reveals selective vulnerability of cardiac neural crest-derived glial cells in human myocardial infarction",
  "type": "preprint",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:23:53Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/bd1wg1x3pb2my",
  "venue": "bioRxiv",
  "versions": []
}