scholarly journals The Drosophila Embryo at Single Cell Transcriptome Resolution

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nikos Karaiskos ◽  
Philipp Wahle ◽  
Jonathan Alles ◽  
Anastasiya Boltengagen ◽  
Salah Ayoub ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTDrosophila is a premier model system for understanding the molecular mechanisms of development. By the onset of morphogenesis, ~6000 cells express distinct gene combinations according to embryonic position. Despite extensive mRNA in situ screens, combinatorial gene expression within individual cells is largely unknown. Therefore, it is difficult to comprehensively identify the coding and non-coding transcripts that drive patterning and to decipher the molecular basis of cellular identity. Here, we single-cell sequence precisely staged embryos, measuring >3100 genes per cell. We produce a ‘transcriptomic blueprint’ of development – a virtual embryo where 3D locations of sequenced cells are confidently identified. Our “Drosophila-Virtual-Expression-eXplorer” performs virtual in situ hybridizations and computes expression gradients. Using DVEX, we predict spatial expression and discover patterned lncRNAs. DEVX is sensitive enough to detect subtle evolutionary changes in expression patterns between Drosophila species. We believe DVEX is a prototype for powerful single cell studies in complex tissues.

Blood ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 124 (21) ◽  
pp. 1395-1395
Author(s):  
Andre Olsson ◽  
H. Leighton Grimes ◽  
Virendra K Chaudhri ◽  
Philip Dexheimer ◽  
Bruce J Aronow ◽  
...  

Abstract In spite of tremendous advances in the analysis of hematopoietic progenitors and transcription factors that give rise to different lineages, molecular insight into the mechanisms that underlie cell fate choice at the level of individual cells is lacking. We utilized single-cell RNA sequencing of murine granulocyte-monocyte progenitors (GMPs) to analyze the molecular basis of cell fate choice. Over 200 libraries were generated with average read depths of 4 million per library and an expressed gene call of over 3,800 genes with FPKM >3. Our data reveal a varied but coherent spectrum of gene expression patterns in individual murine GMPs. The majority of cells could be clustered into ones expressing either granulocytic or monocytic genes, suggesting that they were primed for lineage determination. A minority of GMPs expressed a mixed-lineage pattern of genes. The single-cell data suggested an antagonistic transcription factor circuit involving Gfi1 and IRF8 that was validated with both loss- and gain-of-function experiments in GMPs. Our data highlight the utility of single cell RNA-Seq analysis to reveal molecular mechanisms controlling lineage fate decisions in hematopoiesis. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Elize Wolmarans ◽  
Juanita Mellet ◽  
Chrisna Durandt ◽  
Fourie Joubert ◽  
Michael S. Pepper

The potential for human adipose-derived stromal cells (hASCs) to be used as a therapeutic product is being assessed in multiple clinical trials. However, much is still to be learned about these cells before they can be used with confidence in the clinical setting. An inherent characteristic of hASCs that is not well understood is their heterogeneity. The aim of this exploratory study was to characterize the heterogeneity of freshly isolated hASCs after two population doublings (P2) using single-cell transcriptome analysis. A minimum of two subpopulations were identified at P2. A major subpopulation was identified as contractile cells which, based on gene expression patterns, are likely to be pericytes and/or vascular smooth muscle cells (vSMCs).


2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (22) ◽  
pp. 5773 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne-Sophie Gille ◽  
Clémentine Lapoujade ◽  
Jean-Philippe Wolf ◽  
Pierre Fouchet ◽  
Virginie Barraud-Lange

Ongoing progress in genomic technologies offers exciting tools that can help to resolve transcriptome and genome-wide DNA modifications at single-cell resolution. These methods can be used to characterize individual cells within complex tissue organizations and to highlight various molecular interactions. Here, we will discuss recent advances in the definition of spermatogonial stem cells (SSC) and their progenitors in humans using the single-cell transcriptome sequencing (scRNAseq) approach. Exploration of gene expression patterns allows one to investigate stem cell heterogeneity. It leads to tracing the spermatogenic developmental process and its underlying biology, which is highly influenced by the microenvironment. scRNAseq already represents a new diagnostic tool for the personalized investigation of male infertility. One may hope that a better understanding of SSC biology could facilitate the use of these cells in the context of fertility preservation of prepubertal children, as a key component of regenerative medicine.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarthak Sharma ◽  
Wei Wang ◽  
Alberto Stolfi

AbstractThe tadpole-type larva of Ciona has emerged as an intriguing model system for the study of neurodevelopment. The Ciona intestinalis connectome has been recently mapped, revealing the smallest central nervous system (CNS) known in any chordate, with only 177 neurons. This minimal CNS is highly reminiscent of larger CNS of vertebrates, sharing many conserved developmental processes, anatomical compartments, neuron subtypes, and even specific neural circuits. Thus, the Ciona tadpole offers a unique opportunity to understand the development and wiring of a chordate CNS at single-cell resolution. Here we report the use of single-cell RNAseq to profile the transcriptomes of single cells isolated by fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) from the whole brain of Ciona robusta (formerly intestinalis Type A) larvae. We have also compared these profiles to bulk RNAseq data from specific subsets of brain cells isolated by FACS using cell type-specific reporter plasmid expression. Taken together, these datasets have begun to reveal the compartment- and cell-specific gene expression patterns that define the organization of the Ciona larval brain.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexis Vandenbon ◽  
Diego Diez

AbstractSummarySingle-cell sequencing data is often visualized in 2-dimensional plots, including t-SNE plots. However, it is not straightforward to extract biological knowledge, such as differentially expressed genes, from these plots. Here we introduce singleCellHaystack, a methodology that addresses this problem. singleCellHaystack uses Kullback-Leibler Divergence to find genes that are expressed in subsets of cells that are non-randomly positioned on a 2D plot. We illustrate the usage of singleCellHaystack through applications on several single-cell datasets. singleCellHaystack is implemented as an R package, and includes additional functions for clustering and visualization of genes with interesting expression patterns.Availability and implementationhttps://github.com/alexisvdb/[email protected]


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Davide Simone ◽  
Frank Penkava ◽  
Anna Ridley ◽  
Stephen Nicholas Sansom ◽  
Hussein Mohamed Al-Mossawi ◽  
...  

Regulatory T cells (Tregs) play an important role in controlling inflammation and limiting autoimmunity, but their phenotypes at inflammatory sites in human disease are poorly understood. We here analyze the single-cell transcriptome of >16,000 Tregs obtained from peripheral blood and synovial fluid of two patients with HLA-B27+ ankylosing spondylitis and three patients with psoriatic arthritis, closely related forms of inflammatory spondyloarthritis. We identify multiple Treg clusters with distinct transcriptomic profiles, including, among others, a regulatory CD8+ subset expressing cytotoxic markers/genes, and a Th17-like RORC+ Treg subset characterized by IL-10 and LAG-3 expression. Synovial Tregs show upregulation of interferon signature and TNF receptor superfamily genes, and marked clonal expansion, consistent with tissue adaptation and antigen contact respectively. Individual synovial Treg clones map to different clusters indicating cell fate divergence. Finally, we demonstrate that LAG-3 directly inhibits IL-12/23 and TNF secretion by patient-derived monocytes, a mechanism with translational potential in SpA. Our detailed characterization of Tregs at an important inflammatory site illustrates the marked specialization of Treg subpopulations.


Author(s):  
Zongren Xu ◽  
Xingyun Liao ◽  
Na Li ◽  
Hongxiu Zhou ◽  
Hong Li ◽  
...  

Human retinal pigment epithelium cells are arranged in a monolayer that plays an important supporting role in the retina. Although the heterogeneity of specific retinal cells has been well studied, the diversity of hRPE cells has not been reported. Here, we performed a single-cell RNA sequencing on 9,302 hRPE cells from three donors and profiled a transcriptome atlas. Our results identified two subpopulations that exhibit substantial differences in gene expression patterns and functions. One of the clusters specifically expressed ID3, a macular retinal pigment epithelium marker. The other cluster highly expressed CRYAB, a peripheral RPE marker. Our results also showed that the genes associated with oxidative stress and endoplasmic reticulum stress were more enriched in the macular RPE. The genes related to light perception, oxidative stress and lipid metabolism were more enriched in the peripheral RPE. Additionally, we provided a map of disease-related genes in the hRPE and highlighted the importance of the macular RPE and peripheral RPE clusters P4 and P6 as potential therapeutic targets for retinal diseases. Our study provides a transcriptional landscape for the human retinal pigment epithelium that is critical to understanding retinal biology and disease.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sanjeeva S Metikala ◽  
Satish Casie Chetty ◽  
Saulius Sumanas

During embryonic development, cells differentiate into a variety of distinct cell types and subtypes with diverse transcriptional profiles. To date, transcriptomic signatures of different cell lineages that arise during development have been only partially characterized. Here we used single-cell RNA-seq to perform transcriptomic analysis of over 20,000 cells disaggregated from the trunk region of zebrafish embryos at the 30 hpf stage. Transcriptional signatures of 27 different cell types and subtypes were identified and annotated during this analysis. This dataset will be a useful resource for many researchers in the fields of developmental and cellular biology and facilitate the understanding of molecular mechanisms that regulate cell lineage choices during development.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Riccardo Calandrelli ◽  
Lixia Xu ◽  
Yingjun Luo ◽  
Weixin Wu ◽  
Xiaochen Fan ◽  
...  

AbstractChromatins are pervasively attached by RNAs. Here, we asked whether global RNA-chromatin contacts are altered in a given cell type in a disease context, and whether these alterations impact gene expression and cell function. In endothelial cells (ECs) treated by high-glucose and TNFα, we employed single-cell RNA-sequencing and in situ mapping of RNA-genome interaction (iMARGI) assay to delineate temporal changes in transcriptome and RNA-chromatin interactome. ECs displayed dramatic and heterogeneous changes in single cell transcriptome, accompanied by a dynamic and strong increase in inter-chromosomal RNA-DNA interactions, particularly among super enhancers (SEs). These SEs overlap with genes contributing to inflammatory response and endothelial mesenchymal transition (EndoMT), two key aspects of endothelial dysfunction. Perturbation of a high-glucose and TNFα-activated interaction involving SEs overlapping LINC00607 and SERPINE1 attenuated the pro-inflammatory and pro-EndoMT gene induction and EC dysfunction. Our findings highlight RNA-chromatin contacts as a crucial regulatory feature in biological and disease processes, exemplified by endothelial dysfunction, a major mediator of numerous diseases.


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