An integrated single-cell and spatial proteotranscriptomics atlas of fibroblast-driven immunoregulation within the human adult oral cavity.

Abstract

The immunoregulatory architecture of human oral tissues remains poorly defined. We present an integrated single-cell and spatial proteotranscriptomic atlas profiling >250,000 single-cell transcriptomes and >4 million spatially resolved cells across 13 niches. Using our AI-enabled AstroSuite, we defined neighborhoods and interaction modules, revealing peri-epithelial fibroblast-centered hubs enriched in effector cytokines. We harmonized fibroblast subtypes (universal, immune, peri-epithelial, peri-vascular, peri-neural, antigen-presenting cell [APC]-like, stress responsive, and myofibroblasts) with stress-responsive subtypes partitioning between mucosae and glands (type I and II). Spatial multiomics mapped ligand-receptor programs and identified mucosal stress-responsive fibroblasts as putative immunoregulatory hubs. Niche-aware integration of healthy and diseased datasets revealed fibroblast rewiring into inflammatory and reparative niches. Disease neighborhoods exhibited expansion of major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-I+, MHC-II+, and programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1)+ fibroblasts and predicted spatial engagement with T cells at tertiary lymphoid structures. Together, this atlas identifies fibroblasts as central regulators of structural immunity and provides a scalable framework to target stromal-immune interactions across barrier organs.