{
  "id": 9655045,
  "title": "Spatial Transcriptomics Identifies Muscle Inflammation Susceptibility as a Distinct Periarticular Skeletal Muscle Phenotype in End-Stage Knee Osteoarthritis",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/24/spatial-transcriptomics-identifies-muscle-inflammation-susceptibility",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-09-24T00:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "bioRxiv",
    "slug": "biorxiv",
    "url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.16.752138v1?rss=1"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Spatial transcriptomics has unveiled a unique muscle inflammation susceptibility (MuIS) phenotype in periarticular skeletal muscle during end-stage knee osteoarthritis (KOA). This groundbreaking study applied spatial transcriptomics to skeletal muscle biopsies from patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty (TKA). By analyzing 27,087 spots across 22 muscle histological cross-sections from 11 paired limbs, researchers identified seven spatially resolved transcriptional domains. These domains encompassed slow and fast myofiber states, an extracellular matrix/fibroadipogenic-enriched area, a pericyte/smooth muscle domain, and a satellite cell/myogenic-enriched domain. Notably, despite advanced unilateral disease, KOA-associated remodeling primarily manifested as within-cluster transcriptional changes in fibroadipogenic, pericyte/smooth muscle, and satellite/myogenic domains. MuIS was found to induce a coordinated transcriptional program comprising denervation- and regeneration-associated genes, along with altered contractile and metabolic features. This study marks the first spatial transcriptomic analysis of periarticular skeletal muscle in end-stage KOA, providing valuable insights into the distinct local transcriptional phenotype of MuIS in diseased muscle.",
  "summary": "Skeletal muscle dysfunction is a major contributor to disability and incomplete functional recovery in patients with end-stage knee osteoarthritis (KOA), yet the spatial components of disease-associated molecular remodeling remain poorly understood. Here, we applied spatial transcriptomics to paired skeletal muscle biopsies obtained from the surgical (Sx) and contralateral (Ct) limbs of…",
  "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."
}