scholarly journals Understanding the complexity of retina and pluripotent stem cell derived retinal organoids with single cell RNA sequencing: current progress, remaining challenges and future prospective

2020 ◽  
Vol 45 (3) ◽  
pp. 385-396 ◽  
Author(s):  
Darin Zerti ◽  
Joseph Collin ◽  
Rachel Queen ◽  
Simon J. Cockell ◽  
Majlinda Lako
Keyword(s):  
Stem Cell ◽  
Single Cell ◽  
Rna Sequencing ◽  
Pluripotent Stem Cell ◽  
Single Cell Rna Sequencing

scholarly journals Single‐Cell Transcriptomics of Engineered Cardiac Tissues From Patient‐Specific Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell–Derived Cardiomyocytes Reveals Abnormal Developmental Trajectory and Intrinsic Contractile Defects in Hypoplastic Right Heart Syndrome

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (20) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yin‐Yu Lam ◽  
Wendy Keung ◽  
Chun‐Ho Chan ◽  
Lin Geng ◽  
Nicodemus Wong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stem Cell ◽  
Single Cell ◽  
Rna Sequencing ◽  
Pluripotent Stem Cell ◽  
Cardiac Tissue ◽  
Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell ◽  
Developmental Trajectory ◽  
Single Cell Rna Sequencing ◽  
Human Cardiac Tissue ◽  
Induced Pluripotent

Background To understand the intrinsic cardiac developmental and functional abnormalities in pulmonary atresia with intact ventricular septum (PAIVS) free from effects secondary to anatomic defects, we performed and compared single‐cell transcriptomic and phenotypic analyses of patient‐ and healthy subject–derived human‐induced pluripotent stem cell–derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC‐CMs) and engineered tissue models. Methods and Results We derived hiPSC lines from 3 patients with PAIVS and 3 healthy subjects and differentiated them into hiPSC‐CMs, which were then bioengineered into the human cardiac anisotropic sheet and human cardiac tissue strip custom‐designed for electrophysiological and contractile assessments, respectively. Single‐cell RNA sequencing (scRNA‐seq) of hiPSC‐CMs, human cardiac anisotropic sheet, and human cardiac tissue strip was performed to examine the transcriptomic basis for any phenotypic abnormalities using pseudotime and differential expression analyses. Through pseudotime analysis, we demonstrated that bioengineered tissue constructs provide pro‐maturational cues to hiPSC‐CMs, although the maturation and development were attenuated in PAIVS hiPSC‐CMs. Furthermore, reduced contractility and prolonged contractile kinetics were observed with PAIVS human cardiac tissue strips. Consistently, single‐cell RNA sequencing of PAIVS human cardiac tissue strips and hiPSC‐CMs exhibited diminished expression of cardiac contractile apparatus genes. By contrast, electrophysiological aberrancies were absent in PAIVS human cardiac anisotropic sheets. Conclusions Our findings were the first to reveal intrinsic abnormalities of cardiomyocyte development and function in PAIVS free from secondary effects. We conclude that hiPSC‐derived engineered tissues offer a unique method for studying primary cardiac abnormalities and uncovering pathogenic mechanisms that underlie sporadic congenital heart diseases.

scholarly journals Transcriptomic entropy benchmarks stem cell-derived cardiomyocyte maturation against endogenous tissue at single cell level

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suraj Kannan ◽  
Michael Farid ◽  
Brian L. Lin ◽  
Matthew Miyamoto ◽  
Chulan Kwon
Keyword(s):  
Stem Cell ◽  
Single Cell ◽  
Rna Sequencing ◽  
Pluripotent Stem Cell ◽  
Developmental Trajectory ◽  
Single Cell Level ◽  
Batch Effects ◽  
Cell Level ◽  
Single Cell Rna Sequencing

The immaturity of pluripotent stem cell (PSC)-derived tissues has emerged as a universal problem for their biomedical applications. While efforts have been made to generate adult-like cells from PSCs, direct benchmarking of PSC-derived tissues against in vivo development has not been established. Thus, maturation status is often assessed on an ad-hoc basis. Single cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) offers a promising solution, though cross-study comparison is limited by dataset-specific batch effects. Here, we developed a novel approach to quantify PSC-derived cardiomyocyte (CM) maturation through transcriptomic entropy. Transcriptomic entropy is robust across datasets regardless of differences in isolation protocols, library preparation, and other potential batch effects. With this new model, we analyzed over 45 scRNA-seq datasets and over 52,000 CMs, and established a cross-study, cross-species CM maturation reference. This reference enabled us to directly compare PSC-CMs with the in vivo developmental trajectory and thereby to quantify PSC-CM maturation status. We further found that our entropy-based approach can be used for other cell types, including pancreatic beta cells and hepatocytes. Our study presents a biologically relevant and interpretable metric for quantifying PSC-derived tissue maturation, and is extensible to numerous tissue engineering contexts.Significance StatementThere is significant interest in generating mature cardiomyocytes from pluripotent stem cells. However, there are currently few effective metrics to quantify the maturation status of a single cardiomyocyte. We developed a new metric for measuring cardiomyocyte maturation using single cell RNA-sequencing data. This metric, called entropy score, uses the gene distribution to estimate maturation at the single cell level. Entropy score enables comparing pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes directly against endogenously-isolated cardiomyocytes. Thus, entropy score can better assist in development of approaches to improve the maturation of pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes.

scholarly journals 973. Single-cell RNA Sequencing Analysis of Zika Virus Infection in Human Stem Cell-Derived Cerebral Organoids

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. S33-S34
Author(s):  
Karen Ocwieja ◽  
Alexandra Stanton ◽  
Alexsia Richards ◽  
Jenna Antonucci ◽  
Travis Hughes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stem Cell ◽  
Human Brain ◽  
Single Cell ◽  
Rna Sequencing ◽  
Zika Virus ◽  
Model Systems ◽  
Sequencing Analysis ◽  
Human Stem Cell ◽  
Zikv Infection ◽  
Single Cell Rna Sequencing

Abstract Background The molecular mechanisms underpinning the neurologic and congenital pathologies caused by Zika virus (ZIKV) infection remain poorly understood. One barrier has been the lack of relevant model systems for the developing human brain; however, thanks to advances in the stem cell field, we can now evaluate ZIKV central nervous system infections in human stem cell-derived cerebral organoids which recapitulate complex 3-dimensional neural architecture. Methods We apply Seq-Well—a simple, portable platform for massively parallel single-cell RNA sequencing—to characterize cerebral organoids infected with ZIKV. Using this sequencing method, and published transcriptional profiles, we identify multiple cellular populations in our organoids, including neuroprogenitor cells, intermediate progenitor cells, and terminally differentiated neurons. We detect and quantify host mRNA transcripts and viral RNA with single-cell resolution, defining transcriptional features of uninfected cells and infected cells. Results In this model of the developing brain, we identify preferred tropisms of ZIKV infection and pronounced effects on cell division, differentiation, and death. Our data additionally reveal differences in cellular populations and gene expression within organoids infected by historic and contemporary ZIKV strains from a variety of geographic locations. This finding might help explain phenotypic differences attributed to the viruses, including variable propensity to cause microcephaly. Conclusion Overall, our work provides insight into normal and diseased human brain development, and suggests that both virus replication and host response mechanisms underlie the neuropathology of ZIKV infection. Disclosures All Authors: No reported Disclosures.

scholarly journals Stem Cell Pluripotency Genes Klf4 and Oct4 Regulate Complex SMC Phenotypic Changes Critical in Late-Stage Atherosclerotic Lesion Pathogenesis

Circulation ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 142 (21) ◽  
pp. 2045-2059 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriel F. Alencar ◽  
Katherine M. Owsiany ◽  
Santosh Karnewar ◽  
Katyayani Sukhavasi ◽  
Giuseppe Mocci ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stem Cell ◽  
Single Cell ◽  
Rna Sequencing ◽  
Late Stage ◽  
Lineage Tracing ◽  
Stem Cell Marker ◽  
Cell Phenotype ◽  
Phenotypic Changes ◽  
Atherosclerotic Lesions ◽  
Single Cell Rna Sequencing

Background: Rupture and erosion of advanced atherosclerotic lesions with a resultant myocardial infarction or stroke are the leading worldwide cause of death. However, we have a limited understanding of the identity, origin, and function of many cells that make up late-stage atherosclerotic lesions, as well as the mechanisms by which they control plaque stability. Methods: We conducted a comprehensive single-cell RNA sequencing of advanced human carotid endarterectomy samples and compared these with single-cell RNA sequencing from murine microdissected advanced atherosclerotic lesions with smooth muscle cell (SMC) and endothelial lineage tracing to survey all plaque cell types and rigorously determine their origin. We further used chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing (ChIP-seq), bulk RNA sequencing, and an innovative dual lineage tracing mouse to understand the mechanism by which SMC phenotypic transitions affect lesion pathogenesis. Results: We provide evidence that SMC-specific Klf4- versus Oct4-knockout showed virtually opposite genomic signatures, and their putative target genes play an important role regulating SMC phenotypic changes. Single-cell RNA sequencing revealed remarkable similarity of transcriptomic clusters between mouse and human lesions and extensive plasticity of SMC- and endothelial cell-derived cells including 7 distinct clusters, most negative for traditional markers. In particular, SMC contributed to a Myh11 - , Lgals3 + population with a chondrocyte-like gene signature that was markedly reduced with SMC- Klf4 knockout. We observed that SMCs that activate Lgals3 compose up to two thirds of all SMC in lesions. However, initial activation of Lgals3 in these cells does not represent conversion to a terminally differentiated state, but rather represents transition of these cells to a unique stem cell marker gene–positive, extracellular matrix-remodeling, “pioneer” cell phenotype that is the first to invest within lesions and subsequently gives rise to at least 3 other SMC phenotypes within advanced lesions, including Klf4-dependent osteogenic phenotypes likely to contribute to plaque calcification and plaque destabilization. Conclusions: Taken together, these results provide evidence that SMC-derived cells within advanced mouse and human atherosclerotic lesions exhibit far greater phenotypic plasticity than generally believed, with Klf4 regulating transition to multiple phenotypes including Lgals3 + osteogenic cells likely to be detrimental for late-stage atherosclerosis plaque pathogenesis.

#71: Single-cell RNA Sequencing Analysis of Zika Virus Infection in Human Stem Cell-Derived Neuroprogenitor Cells and Cerebral Organoids

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S14-S14
Author(s):  
K E Ocwieja ◽  
T K Hughes ◽  
J M Antonucci ◽  
A L Richards ◽  
A C Stanton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stem Cell ◽  
Single Cell ◽  
Rna Sequencing ◽  
Zika Virus ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Sequencing Analysis ◽  
Human Stem Cell ◽  
Zikv Infection ◽  
Single Cell Sequencing ◽  
Single Cell Rna Sequencing

Abstract Background The molecular mechanisms underpinning the neurologic and congenital pathologies caused by Zika virus (ZIKV) infection remain poorly understood. It is also unclear why congenital ZIKV disease was not observed prior to the recent epidemics in French Polynesia and the Americas, despite evidence that the Zika virus has actively circulated in parts of Africa and Asia since 1947 and 1966, respectively. Methods Due to advances in stem cell-based technologies, we can now model ZIKV infections of the central nervous system in human stem cell-derived neuroprogenitor cells and cerebral organoids, which recapitulate complex three-dimensional neural architecture. We apply Seq-Well—a simple, portable platform for massively parallel single-cell RNA sequencing—to characterize these neural models infected with ZIKV. We detect and quantify host mRNA transcripts and viral RNA with single-cell resolution, thereby defining transcriptional features of both uninfected and infected cells. Results In neuroprogenitor cells, single-cell sequencing reveals that while uninfected bystander cells strongly upregulate interferon pathway genes, these are largely suppressed in cells infected with ZIKV within the same culture dish. In our organoid model, single-cell sequencing allows us to identify multiple cellular populations, including neuroprogenitor cells, intermediate progenitor cells, and terminally differentiated neurons. In this model of the developing brain, we identify preferred tropisms of ZIKV infection. Our data additionally reveal differences in cell-type frequencies and gene expression within organoids infected by historic and contemporary ZIKV strains from a variety of geographic locations. Conclusions These findings may help explain phenotypic differences attributed to the viruses, including variable propensities to cause microcephaly. Overall, our work provides insight into normal and diseased human brain development and suggests that both virus replication and host response mechanisms underlie the neuropathology of ZIKV infection.

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