{
  "id": 7426403,
  "title": "Single-cell splice isoform usage reveals distinct axes of cellular identity and senescence",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/14/single-cell-splice-isoform-usage-reveals-distinct-axes-of-cellular",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-09-14T00:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "bioRxiv",
    "slug": "biorxiv",
    "url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.11.748700v1?rss=1"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Alternative splicing, a process that expands the diversity of gene products encoded by the human genome, has been characterized in human cell types through gene-level expression using single-cell transcriptomic atlases. However, short-read sequencing has restricted the ability to identify full-length isoforms and their functional implications. In this study, researchers present a cross-tissue single-cell long-read isoform atlas, covering 26 human tissues. This atlas reveals hundreds of thousands of novel isoforms along with their cell-type-specific utilization. Astonishingly, over one-third of expressed isoforms are absent from current reference databases. The study further demonstrates that isoform usage functions as a structured, measurable axis of cellular identity, distinct from gene expression. By applying this framework to cellular senescence, the researchers identify p16INK4a and p14ARF transcripts from the CDKN2A locus in individual cells. They uncover cell-type-dependent isoform remodeling associated with the p16INK4a senescence program, offering a versatile framework to explore the cellular logic of isoform regulation in senescence and beyond.",
  "summary": "Alternative splicing greatly expands the diversity of gene products encoded by the human genome. Single-cell transcriptomic atlases have characterized human cell types through gene-level expression, but short-read sequencing has limited the ability to resolve full-length isoforms and their functional consequences. Here, we present a cross-tissue single-cell long-read isoform atlas spanning 26…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}