{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,17]],"date-time":"2026-03-17T09:52:39Z","timestamp":1773741159611,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":53,"publisher":"Wiley","issue":"18","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,19]],"date-time":"2025-09-19T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1758240000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":18,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/100009002","name":"Ministry of Education and Science","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["25RL\u20101F024F005"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["25RL\u20101F024F005"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100009002","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["physoc.onlinelibrary.wiley.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Physiological Reports"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2025,9]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title><jats:p>Meibomian glands (MGs) are an integral component of the ocular defense system, as their secretion product, meibum, is essential for protecting the eye surface. To characterize the transcriptional program underlying meibum production, we employed spatial transcriptomics (ST) analysis of the human eyelid from a sample from a 60\u2010year\u2010old male. We resolved 18 distinct eyelid clusters, representing structures such as the conjunctiva, epidermis, hair\u2010associated sebaceous glands, and MGs. Focusing on the MG, we distinguished basal (MEI\u2010B cluster) and differentiating (MEI\u2010DIFF cluster) meibocytes, as well as a third, duct\u2010related cluster (MEI\u2010DUCT). Self\u2010organizing maps (SOM) portrayal of ST images and pseudotime analysis confirmed progress from MEI\u2010B to MEI\u2010DIFF and further to MEI\u2010DUCT, as the latter turned out to include terminally differentiated meibocytes. Accordingly, gene set enrichment analysis associated early\/intermediate meibocyte maturation with energy and lipid metabolism, and later stages with barrier functions. We also identified significant differences between the MG and sebaceous gland transcriptomes. The MG\u2010specific signature included transcripts such as <jats:italic>AQP9<\/jats:italic>, <jats:italic>MMP3<\/jats:italic>, and <jats:italic>PITX1<\/jats:italic>, and selective expression of PITX1 in the MG compared to the sebaceous gland was confirmed by immunohistochemistry on the same sample and samples from three other elderly adults. We deliver the first spatial portrait of the human MG transcriptional landscape. Besides enhancing our understanding of MG physiology, our study identifies novel targets for regulating MG homeostasis in health and disease.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.14814\/phy2.70571","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,19]],"date-time":"2025-09-19T08:45:11Z","timestamp":1758271511000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":3,"title":["Spatial transcriptome analysis of the human eyelid depicts meibomian gland cell differentiation: A pilot study"],"prefix":"10.14814","volume":"13","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2242-4678","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Hans","family":"Binder","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Interdisciplinary Institute for Bioinformatics (IZBI) University of Leipzig  Leipzig Germany"},{"name":"Armenian Bioinformatics Institute and Institute for Molecular Biology  Yerevan 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