Figure 1.

Single-cell transcriptomic analysis reveals cellular heterogeneity and intercellular interactions (A, B) t-SNE plots identified various display distinct cell clusters. (C) Number of ligand-receptor interactions between cell types. T cells show moderate connectivity, interacting most with neurons, chondrocytes, and tissue stem cells. (D) Mean interaction strength between cell types. T cells, despite fewer interactions, exhibit high signaling intensity with smooth muscle cells and monocytes, suggesting targeted, functional crosstalk. (E) A heatmap highlights differentially expressed genes across cell populations, revealing key molecular signatures that may contribute to cell-type-specific functions and interactions.