A Hormone Cell Atlas maps the human endocrine system at cellular resolution
- Lijiang Fei
- Isabel Huang-Doran
- Katherine Lawler
- Yizhou Yu
- Jan Patrick Pett
- Kevin M. Méndez-Acevedo
- Dinesh Shah
- Jaume Margalef-Rieres
- Joseph S. Pohlman
- Batuhan Cakir
- Madelyn R. Moy
- Robert G. Legg
- Chuan Xu
- Ken To
- Duy Pham
- Alexander V. Predeus
- Ruth Hanssen
- Tessa M. Cacciottolo
- Rakesh K. Kapuge
- Krzysztof Polanski
- Amanda J. Oliver
- Sarah A. Teichmann
- I. Sadaf Farooqi
2026-05-28
Hormones act across tissues and organs to coordinate physiological functions. Drawing inspiration from the Human Cell Atlas, we analyzed expression of 379 hormone and receptor genes in a transcriptomic dataset comprising 14 million single cells and nuclei across 47 human tissues. Using hormone2cell, we mapped putative hormone-producing and hormone-receiving cell types, defining tissue-specific and cross-tissue endocrine signatures. We predicted non-classical sites of hormone expression, including secretin in plasmacytoid dendritic cells, inferred convergent hormone action and endocrine feedback loops, and implicated cell populations in monogenic endocrine disorders. In a cross-tissue integration of adipocyte datasets, we uncovered dynamic endocrine programs across depots, within adipocyte subtypes and through adipogenic differentiation. Cumulatively, the Hormone Cell Atlas ( hormonecellatlas.org.uk ) provides a comprehensive framework for dissecting hormonal impact on health and disease.