Publication Name	World Journal of Diabetes
Manuscript ID	126101
DOI	10.4239/wjd.126101
Country	China

Category	Medicine, General & Internal
Manuscript Type	Basic Study
Article Title	SPON1-positive stellate-like stromal cells are associated with fibrotic remodeling and β-cell injury in type 2 diabetes
Manuscript Source	Unsolicited Manuscript
All Author List	Qin-Ling Zhang, Kai-Yu Song, Xiao-Rui Jiang, Kai Wang, Hai-Jie Che, Yuan-Tao Wang, Chen-Xue Wang, Xi-Cheng Song, Fang-Jie Jiang and Jin Zhou
Funding Agency and Grant Number	Funding Agency Grant Number China University Innovation Fund 2024GR043 National Natural Science Foundation of China 81700695 National Natural Science Foundation of China 82100855 Yantai City Science and Technology Innovation Development Plan 2024JCYJ053 Yantai Natural Science Foundation Biomedical Innovation Joint Fund ZR2025 LZ047 Shandong Provincial Natural Science Foundation ZR2026MS1400
Corresponding Author	Jin Zhou, PhD, Department of Endocrinology and Foot & Ankle Surgery, Qingdao University, No. 308 Ningxia Road, Yantai 264000, Shandong Province, China. zhoujinsy@qdu.edu.cn
Key Words	Type 2 diabetes mellitus; Islet stellate cells; Fibrotic remodeling; β-cell injury; Spatial transcriptomics
Core Tip	This study links SPON1-associated stellate-like stromal states to fibrotic remodeling and β-cell injury in type 2 diabetes mellitus. Single-cell and donor-matched analyses associated SPON1-high stromal cells with extracellular matrix and transforming growth factor-β programs, while computational perturbation identified predicted regulatory changes involving fibrosis-related genes. Human tissue staining associated SPON1-positive alpha-smooth muscle actin-positive stromal cells with transferase dUTP nick-end labeling-positive β-cell proportions. Complementary spatial transcriptomic analyses supported peri-islet fibroblast expansion and spatial proximity between SPON1-high stromal regions and β-cell death-associated programs. These findings are associative and hypothesis-generating rather than evidence of lineage-specific identity or causality.
Citation	Zhang QL, Song KY, Jiang XR, Wang K, Che HJ, Wang YT, Wang CX, Song XC, Jiang FJ, Zhou J. SPON1-positive stellate-like stromal cells are associated with fibrotic remodeling and β-cell injury in type 2 diabetes. World J Diabetes 2026; In press DOI: https://doi.org/10.4239/wjd.126101
PDF	126101-in-press.pdf

Received	2026-07-24 06:43
Peer-Review Started	2026-07-27 09:47
First Decision by Editorial Office Director
Return for Revision	2026-09-07 06:21
Revised	2026-09-20 12:58
Publication Fee Transferred	2026-10-13 04:21
Second Decision by Editor	2026-11-05 02:19
Second Decision by Editor-in-Chief
Final Decision by Editorial Office Director	2026-11-12 09:59
Articles in Press	2026-11-12 09:59
Edit the Manuscript by Language Editor
Typeset the Manuscript

ISSN	1948-9358 (online)
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