Single-cell transcriptomics reveals cell type diversity of human prostate

Extensive studies have been performed to describe the phenotypic changes occurring during malignant transformation of the prostate.However,the cell types and associated changes that contribute to the development of prostate diseases and cancer remain elusive,largely due to the heterogeneous composition of prostatic tissues.Here,we conduct a comprehensive evaluation of four human prostate tissues by singlecell RNA sequencing(sc RNA-seq)to analyze their cellular compositions.We identify 18 clusters of cell types,each with distinct gene expression profiles and unique features;of these,one cluster of epithelial cells(Ep)is found to be associated with immune function.In addition,we characterize a special cluster of fibroblasts and aberrant signaling changes associated with prostate cancer(PCa).Moreover,we provide insights into the epithelial changes that occur during the cellular senescence and aging.These results expand our understanding of the unique functional associations between the diverse prostatic cell types and the contributions of specific cell clusters to the malignant transformation of prostate tissues and PCa development.

Interview with Ishmael Reed

I had thought that there should be a strange bond between writers and their researchers.As a reader and researcher,he or she is trying to getting to the writer’s mind,which might require his whole life.But he will probably never achieve what he starts with if the writer is writing all his life.The more he reads the more complicated world of the writer he will find.That’s also what makes a great writer,I think.And Ishmael Reed is that kind of a great writer,and I,one of these readers and researchers.I began my research on Reed in 1998,and finished my doctoral dissertation on the study of his works,which is the first dissertation on Ishmael Reed’s works in China.The first time I met him was at the Black Writers Conference at Medgar Evers College in 2014.I was thrilled to meet and talk to him though for only about half an hour.In 2015,I invited Reed and his wife Carla Blank to attend a conference I organized in Xiangtan,Hunan.And I had more chances to talk to them.But my plan to interview him was aborted because as the organizer I had been extremely busy with the conference.Finally,this interview was conducted on August 11,2017,during my visit to his home.In their cozy home in Oakland,we talked for hours;to be exact,Reed talked for hours,as he did most of the talking from his writing experience to his present writing.Listening to him is different from reading him,because I could truly feel the power of“Writin Is Fightin”of this great writer“in exile.”