HDTree: Generative Modeling of Cellular Hierarchies for Robust Lineage Inference

Fuente: arXiv
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Autores principales: Zang, Zelin, Li, WenZhe, Xu, Yongjie, Yu, Chang, Chi, Changxi, Zhou, Jingbo, Lei, Zhen, Li, Stan Z.
Formato: Preprint
Publicado: 2025
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author Zang, Zelin
Li, WenZhe
Xu, Yongjie
Yu, Chang
Chi, Changxi
Zhou, Jingbo
Lei, Zhen
Li, Stan Z.
author_facet Zang, Zelin
Li, WenZhe
Xu, Yongjie
Yu, Chang
Chi, Changxi
Zhou, Jingbo
Lei, Zhen
Li, Stan Z.
contents In single-cell research, tracing and analyzing high-throughput single-cell differentiation trajectories is crucial for understanding biological processes. Key to this is the robust modeling of hierarchical structures that govern cellular development. Traditional methods face limitations in computational cost, performance, and stability. VAE-based approaches have made strides but still require branch-specific network modules, limiting their scalability and stability, while often suffering from posterior collapse. To overcome these challenges, we introduce HDTree, a generative modeling framework designed for robust lineage inference. HDTree captures tree relationships within a hierarchical latent space using a unified hierarchical codebook and employs a quantized diffusion process to model continuous cell state transitions. By aligning the generative process with the Waddington landscape, this method not only improves stability and scalability but also enhances the biological plausibility of inferred lineages. HDTree's effectiveness is demonstrated through comparisons on both general-purpose and single-cell datasets, where it outperforms existing methods in lineage inference accuracy, reconstruction quality, and hierarchical consistency. These contributions enable accurate and efficient modeling of cellular differentiation paths, offering reliable insights for biological discovery.\footnote{Code is available at https://github.com/zangzelin/code\_HDTree\_icml.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2506_23287
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle HDTree: Generative Modeling of Cellular Hierarchies for Robust Lineage Inference
Zang, Zelin
Li, WenZhe
Xu, Yongjie
Yu, Chang
Chi, Changxi
Zhou, Jingbo
Lei, Zhen
Li, Stan Z.
Machine Learning
Quantitative Methods
In single-cell research, tracing and analyzing high-throughput single-cell differentiation trajectories is crucial for understanding biological processes. Key to this is the robust modeling of hierarchical structures that govern cellular development. Traditional methods face limitations in computational cost, performance, and stability. VAE-based approaches have made strides but still require branch-specific network modules, limiting their scalability and stability, while often suffering from posterior collapse. To overcome these challenges, we introduce HDTree, a generative modeling framework designed for robust lineage inference. HDTree captures tree relationships within a hierarchical latent space using a unified hierarchical codebook and employs a quantized diffusion process to model continuous cell state transitions. By aligning the generative process with the Waddington landscape, this method not only improves stability and scalability but also enhances the biological plausibility of inferred lineages. HDTree's effectiveness is demonstrated through comparisons on both general-purpose and single-cell datasets, where it outperforms existing methods in lineage inference accuracy, reconstruction quality, and hierarchical consistency. These contributions enable accurate and efficient modeling of cellular differentiation paths, offering reliable insights for biological discovery.\footnote{Code is available at https://github.com/zangzelin/code\_HDTree\_icml.
title HDTree: Generative Modeling of Cellular Hierarchies for Robust Lineage Inference
topic Machine Learning
Quantitative Methods
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2506.23287