Transcriptional and spatial profiling of fibroblasts from human lungs highlights CTHRC1+ cells as fibrogenic signaling hubs in fibrosis [scRNA-seq culture]

This dataset contains single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data from primary human lung fibroblasts isolated from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and age-matched control lungs expanded under standard in vitro culture conditions using three isolation protocols: outgrowth, whole lung cell suspension (WLCS), and negative fraction. Droplet-based scRNA-seq (10x Genomics Chromium) profiling across multiple passages identified seven transcriptionally distinct fibroblast subtypes.

Differential gene expression and pathway enrichment analyses revealed broad culture-induced ECM-producing and proliferative transcriptional adaptations alongside partial retention of subtype-specific programs. This dataset provides a resource for investigating the transcriptional consequences of in vitro culture on human lung fibroblast heterogeneity and disease-associated mesenchymal states in IPF.