Single-cell and spatial transcriptomic profiling of cardiac fibroblasts following myocardial infarction

Abstract Cardiac fibroblasts (CFs) are key mediators of heart repair following myocardial infarction (MI). A specific CF subpopulation, termed Reparative Cardiac Fibroblasts (RCFs), has been shown to orchestrate scar formation and prevent ventricular rupture after MI. However, the timing of RCF appearance and the molecular events underlying this transition remain largely undefined. Here, we present a multi-modal dataset capturing the transcriptional dynamics of CFs during the early phase post-MI. Our integrative dataset combines bulk RNA sequencing, RNAscope in situ hybridization, and spatial transcriptomics to anatomically and temporally map the gene expression changes associated with the transition into RCFs. The dataset provides resources to characterize the distinct molecular programs that guide the emergence of RCFs from Periostin ( Postn ) + activated CFs. This dataset provides a valuable resource for investigating CF heterogeneity and reparative pathways following MI. All raw and processed data, along with detailed metadata and annotations, are made available to facilitate reuse by the cardiovascular and single-cell biology communities.