Serum-Based Culture Conditions Provoke Gene Expression Variability in Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells as Revealed by Single-Cell Analysis

ABSTRACTGene expression heterogeneity in the pluripotent state of mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs) has been increasingly well-characterized. In contrast, exit from pluripotency and lineage commitment have not been studied systematically at the single-cell level. Here we measured the gene expression dynamics of retinoic acid driven mESC differentiation using an unbiased single-cell transcriptomics approach. We found that the exit from pluripotency marks the start of a lineage bifurcation as well as a transient phase of susceptibility to lineage specifying signals. Our study revealed several transcriptional signatures of this phase, including a sharp increase of gene expression variability. Importantly, we observed a handover between two classes of transcription factors. The early-expressed class has potential roles in lineage biasing, the late-expressed class in lineage commitment. In summary, we provide a comprehensive analysis of lineage commitment at the single cell level, a potential stepping stone to improved lineage control through timing of differentiation cues.

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Joint single-cell multiomic analysis in Wnt3a induced asymmetric stem cell division

Nature Communications ◽

10.1038/s41467-021-26203-0 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Zhongxing Sun ◽

Yin Tang ◽

Yanjun Zhang ◽

Yuan Fang ◽

Junqi Jia ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gene Expression ◽

Stem Cells ◽

Stem Cell ◽

Cell Division ◽

Embryonic Stem Cells ◽

Single Cell ◽

Embryonic Stem ◽

Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells ◽

Spatial Gradient ◽

Daughter Cells

AbstractWnt signaling usually functions through a spatial gradient. Localized Wnt3a signaling can induce the asymmetric division of mouse embryonic stem cells, where proximal daughter cells maintain self-renewal and distal daughter cells acquire hallmarks of differentiation. Here, we develop an approach, same cell epigenome and transcriptome sequencing, to jointly profile the epigenome and transcriptome in the same single cell. Utilizing this method, we profiled H3K27me3 and H3K4me3 levels along with gene expression in mouse embryonic stem cells with localized Wnt3a signaling, revealing the cell type-specific maps of the epigenome and transcriptome in divided daughter cells. H3K27me3, but not H3K4me3, is correlated with gene expression changes during asymmetric cell division. Furthermore, cell clusters identified by H3K27me3 recapitulate the corresponding clusters defined by gene expression. Our study provides a convenient method to jointly profile the epigenome and transcriptome in the same cell and reveals mechanistic insights into the gene regulatory programs that maintain and reset stem cell fate during differentiation.

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Single-Cell Transcriptome Analysis as a Promising Tool to Study Pluripotent Stem Cell Reprogramming

International Journal of Molecular Sciences ◽

10.3390/ijms22115988 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 22 (11) ◽

pp. 5988

Author(s):

Hyun Kyu Kim ◽

Tae Won Ha ◽

Man Ryul Lee

Keyword(s):

Stem Cells ◽

Single Cell ◽

Cell Fate ◽

Human Cell ◽

Transcriptome Analysis ◽

Single Cell Analysis ◽

Embryonic Stem ◽

Single Cell Level ◽

Cell Analysis ◽

Cell Level

Cells are the basic units of all organisms and are involved in all vital activities, such as proliferation, differentiation, senescence, and apoptosis. A human body consists of more than 30 trillion cells generated through repeated division and differentiation from a single-cell fertilized egg in a highly organized programmatic fashion. Since the recent formation of the Human Cell Atlas consortium, establishing the Human Cell Atlas at the single-cell level has been an ongoing activity with the goal of understanding the mechanisms underlying diseases and vital cellular activities at the level of the single cell. In particular, transcriptome analysis of embryonic stem cells at the single-cell level is of great importance, as these cells are responsible for determining cell fate. Here, we review single-cell analysis techniques that have been actively used in recent years, introduce the single-cell analysis studies currently in progress in pluripotent stem cells and reprogramming, and forecast future studies.

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