Fig. 5: Fibroblast compositional and gene expression changes indicate altered remodeling processes.
a, Collagen scores across FBs in controls (n = 18), Non-COVID-19 (n = 8), Post-COVID-19 (n = 10) and Post-Vaccination (n = 4). Scores were calculated across all expressed collagens. Boxes depict the interquartile range (IQR); horizontal bars indicate the median; whiskers extend to 1.5× IQR; and dots show the value of each patient. P values were calculated using the two-sided Wilcoxon rank-sum test and were adjusted for multiple testing (Bonferoni correction). b, UMAP embedding delineated seven FB states. c, Upper panel, mean abundance (%) of FB states in control left ventricles (n = 18). Lower panel, proportional changes of FB states in the four patient groups (Non-COVID-19: n = 8, Post-COVID-19: n = 10, Post-Vaccination: n = 4). Proportional changes are scaled by color: red (increase) and blue (decrease) in disease versus control. P values are indicated for significant proportional changes (FDR ≤ 0.05). P values were calculated using the two-sided t-test based on CLR-transformed values with Benjamini–Hochberg correction. For MIS-C, significance was not calculated due to low sample size (n = 2). d, Pie charts comparing cell type resolved mean absolute expression levels of TGFB1 and TGFB2. The pie size reflects absolute detection levels; the colors indicate the relative contribution per cell type. Colors indicate cell types; color legend is as in g. e, Circle plot representations of significantly differential interactions of cell–cell communication for the TGFB pathway (adjusted P ≤ 0.05) in patient groups compared to control. P values were computed with the one-sided permutation test. The line thickness represents the interaction strength of signals from sending and receiving cells. Color is scaled from zero to maximum in disease versus controls (orange, increased; blue, decreased). The directionality of the signal is indicated with arrows. f, Collagen scores across CMs and ECs are as described in a. AD, adipocyte; NC, neural cell.
