A scRNA-seq atlas of chronic inflammatory skin diseases

Gansberger, S.; Oyarzun, I.; Simon, M.; Ziegler-Santos, S.; Yuan, H.; Bauer, W.; Tschandl, P.; Weninger, W.; Strobl, J.; Frech, S.; Plikus, M. V.; Kasper, M.; Griss, J.

doi:10.64898/2026.05.15.725328

bioRxiv · 10.64898/2026.05.15.725328

A scRNA-seq atlas of chronic inflammatory skin diseases

Gansberger, S.·Oyarzun, I.·Simon, M.·Ziegler-Santos, S.·Yuan, H.·Bauer, W.·Tschandl, P.·Weninger, W.·Strobl, J.·Frech, S.·Plikus, M. V.·Kasper, M.·Griss, J.

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Abstract

Inflammatory skin diseases (ISDs) affect up to 25% of the global population. Yet, large-scale comparative single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) analyses between ISDs are still missing. Here, we integrated scRNA-seq datasets spanning 27 skin diseases from 50 studies, comprising over 2 million cells from 441 samples. Using the healthy skin cell atlas as reference, we could build a robust ISD atlas that enabled us to differentiate universal inflammatory signatures and disease-specific ones. This highlighted, for example, a shared gene program between keratinocytes in atopic dermatitis and parapsoriasis, not present in cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, confirms the plasticity of Th17 cells throughout ISDs, defines specific macrophage signatures in acne, and reveals a yet undescribed role of mural cells in ISDs. This demonstrates the power of the ISD atlas as a resource to resolve disease-specific immune mechanisms. The complete atlas is available through an interactive online portal at https://isd-atlas.derma.meduniwien.ac.at.

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Gansberger, S., Oyarzun, I., Simon, M., Ziegler-Santos, S., Yuan, H., Bauer, W., Tschandl, P., Weninger, W., Strobl, J., Frech, S., Plikus, M. V., Kasper, M., Griss, J.. 2026-05-18. A scRNA-seq atlas of chronic inflammatory skin diseases. https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.05.15.725328

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