This identified genes encoding cell adhesion and extracellular matrix proteins that interact with integrin receptors, including Col5a2 (a type V collagen), Fn1 (fibronectin), and Tgm2 (tissue transglutaminase, which can enhance integrin β1 interaction with fibronectin)85, and genes encoding secreted factors Cyr61, an integrin-interacting protein, Edn1 (endothelin-1), a vasoactive peptide, and Cxcl12, a chemokine that interacts with the receptor encoded by Cxcr4 expressed in HE based on our scRNA-seq data (Fig. 5iii, Supplementary Data 5). This evidence concerns the gene CXCL12 and hereditary elliptocytosis.