scholarly journals Cell-to-cell heterogeneity in p38-mediated cross-inhibition of JNK causes stochastic cell death

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haruko Miura ◽  
Yohei Kondo ◽  
Michiyuki Matsuda ◽  
Kazuhiro Aoki
Keyword(s):  
Single Cell ◽  
Cell Fate ◽  
Stress Responses ◽  
Imaging System ◽  
Single Cells ◽  
High Specificity ◽  
Cellular Heterogeneity ◽  
Cell Fate Decisions ◽  
Specificity And Sensitivity ◽  
Cross Inhibition

AbstractThe stress activated protein kinases (SAPKs), c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and p38, are important players in cell fate decisions in response to environmental stress signals. Crosstalk signaling between JNK and p38 is emerging as an important regulatory mechanism in the inflammatory and stress responses. However, it is still unknown how this crosstalk affects signaling dynamics, cell-to-cell variation, and cellular responses at the single-cell level. To address these questions, we established a multiplexed live-cell imaging system based on kinase translocation reporters to simultaneously monitor JNK and p38 activities with high specificity and sensitivity at single-cell resolution. Various stresses, such as anisomycin, osmotic stress, and UV irradiation, and pro-inflammatory cytokines activated JNK and p38 with various dynamics. In all cases, however, p38 suppressed JNK activity in a cross-inhibitory manner. We demonstrate that p38 antagonizes JNK through both transcriptional and post-translational mechanisms. This cross-inhibition of JNK appears to generate cellular heterogeneity in JNK activity after stress exposure. Our data indicate that this heterogeneity in JNK activity plays a role in fractional killing in response to UV stress. Our highly sensitive multiplexed imaging system enables detailed investigation into the p38-JNK interplay in single cells.One Sentence SummaryCross-inhibition by p38 generates cell-to-cell variability in JNK activity.

scholarly journals Multiplexed biochemical imaging reveals caspase activation patterns underlying single cell fate

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maximilian W. Fries ◽  
Kalina T. Haas ◽  
Suzan Ber ◽  
John Saganty ◽  
Emma K. Richardson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Death ◽  
Single Cell ◽  
Cell Fate ◽  
Genetic Heterogeneity ◽  
Cellular Response ◽  
Single Cells ◽  
Caspase Activation ◽  
Cell Fate Decisions ◽  
Network Activation ◽  
Biochemical Imaging

The biochemical activities underlying cell-fate decisions vary profoundly even in genetically identical cells. But such non-genetic heterogeneity remains refractory to current imaging methods, because their capacity to monitor multiple biochemical activities in single living cells over time remains limited1. Here, we deploy a family of newly designed GFP-like sensors (NyxBits) with fast photon-counting electronics and bespoke analytics (NyxSense) in multiplexed biochemical imaging, to define a network determining the fate of single cells exposed to the DNA-damaging drug cisplatin. By simultaneously imaging a tri-nodal network comprising the cell-death proteases Caspase-2, -3 and -92, we reveal unrecognized single-cell heterogeneities in the dynamics and amplitude of caspase activation that signify survival versus cell death via necrosis or apoptosis. Non-genetic heterogeneity in the pattern of caspase activation recapitulates traits of therapy resistance previously ascribed solely to genetic causes3,4. Chemical inhibitors that alter these patterns can modulate in a predictable manner the phenotypic landscape of the cellular response to cisplatin. Thus, multiplexed biochemical imaging reveals cellular populations and biochemical states, invisible to other methods, underlying therapeutic responses to an anticancer drug. Our work develops widely applicable tools to monitor the dynamic activation of biochemical networks at single-cell resolution. It highlights the necessity to resolve patterns of network activation in single cells, rather than the average state of individual nodes, to define, and potentially control, mechanisms underlying cellular decisions in health and disease.

scholarly journals Highly multiplexed spatially resolved gene expression profiling of mouse organogenesis

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Lohoff ◽  
S. Ghazanfar ◽  
A. Missarova ◽  
N. Koulena ◽  
N. Pierson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
High Resolution ◽  
Single Cell ◽  
Cell Fate ◽  
Target Genes ◽  
Single Cells ◽  
Spatial Context ◽  
Sequencing Data ◽  
Cell Fate Decisions ◽  
Spatially Resolved

AbstractTranscriptional and epigenetic profiling of single-cells has advanced our knowledge of the molecular bases of gastrulation and early organogenesis. However, current approaches rely on dissociating cells from tissues, thereby losing the crucial spatial context that is necessary for understanding cell and tissue interactions during development. Here, we apply an image-based single-cell transcriptomics method, seqFISH, to simultaneously and precisely detect mRNA molecules for 387 selected target genes in 8-12 somite stage mouse embryo tissue sections. By integrating spatial context and highly multiplexed transcriptional measurements with two single-cell transcriptome atlases we accurately characterize cell types across the embryo and demonstrate how spatially-resolved expression of genes not profiled by seqFISH can be imputed. We use this high-resolution spatial map to characterize fundamental steps in the patterning of the midbrain-hindbrain boundary and the developing gut tube. Our spatial atlas uncovers axes of resolution that are not apparent from single-cell RNA sequencing data – for example, in the gut tube we observe early dorsal-ventral separation of esophageal and tracheal progenitor populations. In sum, by computationally integrating high-resolution spatially-resolved gene expression maps with single-cell genomics data, we provide a powerful new approach for studying how and when cell fate decisions are made during early mammalian development.

scholarly journals Ultra-multiplexed analysis of single-cell dynamics reveals logic rules in differentiation

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. eaav7959 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ce Zhang ◽  
Hsiung-Lin Tu ◽  
Gengjie Jia ◽  
Tanzila Mukhtar ◽  
Verdon Taylor ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stem Cell ◽  
Cell Differentiation ◽  
Single Cell ◽  
Cell Fate ◽  
Single Cell Analysis ◽  
Single Cells ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Stem Cell Differentiation ◽  
Cell Fate Decisions ◽  
Cellular Microenvironments

Dynamical control of cellular microenvironments is highly desirable to study complex processes such as stem cell differentiation and immune signaling. We present an ultra-multiplexed microfluidic system for high-throughput single-cell analysis in precisely defined dynamic signaling environments. Our system delivers combinatorial and time-varying signals to 1500 independently programmable culture chambers in week-long live-cell experiments by performing nearly 106 pipetting steps, where single cells, two-dimensional (2D) populations, or 3D neurospheres are chemically stimulated and tracked. Using our system and statistical analysis, we investigated the signaling landscape of neural stem cell differentiation and discovered “cellular logic rules” that revealed the critical role of signal timing and sequence in cell fate decisions. We find synergistic and antagonistic signal interactions and show that differentiation pathways are highly redundant. Our system allows dissection of hidden aspects of cellular dynamics and enables accelerated biological discovery.

scholarly journals Revealing cell fate decisions during reprogramming by scRNA-seq

2020 ◽  
Vol 145 ◽  
pp. 01033
Author(s):  
Yu Liang
Keyword(s):  
Small Molecules ◽  
Single Cell ◽  
Cell Fate ◽  
Pluripotent Stem Cells ◽  
Rapid Development ◽  
Underlying Mechanism ◽  
Cellular Heterogeneity ◽  
Cell Level ◽  
Cell Fate Decisions ◽  
Cell Fate Conversion

Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) technologies serve as powerful tools to dissect cellular heterogeneity comprehensively. With the rapid development of scRNA-seq, many previously unsolved questions were answered by using scRNA-seq. Cell reprogramming allows to reprogram the somatic cell into pluripotent stem cells by specific transcription factors or small molecules. However, the underlying mechanism for the reprogramming progress remains unclear in some aspects for it is a highly heterogeneous process. By using scRNA-seq, it is of great value for better understanding the mechanism of reprogramming process by analyzing cell fate conversion at single-cell level. In this review, we will introduce the methods of scRNA-seq and generation of iPSCs by reprogramming, and summarize the main researches that revealing reprogramming mechanism with the use scRNA-seq.

scholarly journals Integration of spatial and single-cell transcriptomic data elucidates mouse organogenesis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Lohoff ◽  
S. Ghazanfar ◽  
A. Missarova ◽  
N. Koulena ◽  
N. Pierson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Single Cell ◽  
Cell Fate ◽  
Target Genes ◽  
Single Cells ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Spatial Context ◽  
Cell Fate Decisions ◽  
Spatially Resolved ◽  
Regulatory Processes ◽  
Cell Transcriptome

AbstractMolecular profiling of single cells has advanced our knowledge of the molecular basis of development. However, current approaches mostly rely on dissociating cells from tissues, thereby losing the crucial spatial context of regulatory processes. Here, we apply an image-based single-cell transcriptomics method, sequential fluorescence in situ hybridization (seqFISH), to detect mRNAs for 387 target genes in tissue sections of mouse embryos at the 8–12 somite stage. By integrating spatial context and multiplexed transcriptional measurements with two single-cell transcriptome atlases, we characterize cell types across the embryo and demonstrate that spatially resolved expression of genes not profiled by seqFISH can be imputed. We use this high-resolution spatial map to characterize fundamental steps in the patterning of the midbrain–hindbrain boundary (MHB) and the developing gut tube. We uncover axes of cell differentiation that are not apparent from single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) data, such as early dorsal–ventral separation of esophageal and tracheal progenitor populations in the gut tube. Our method provides an approach for studying cell fate decisions in complex tissues and development.

scholarly journals Reversed graph embedding resolves complex single-cell developmental trajectories

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaojie Qiu ◽  
Qi Mao ◽  
Ying Tang ◽  
Li Wang ◽  
Raghav Chawla ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Single Cell ◽  
Cell Fate ◽  
Developmental Trajectories ◽  
Single Cells ◽  
Graph Embedding ◽  
Developmental Trajectory ◽  
Loss Of Function ◽  
Cell Fate Decisions ◽  
Principal Graph ◽  
Cell Trajectories

AbstractOrganizing single cells along a developmental trajectory has emerged as a powerful tool for understanding how gene regulation governs cell fate decisions. However, learning the structure of complex single-cell trajectories with two or more branches remains a challenging computational problem. We present Monocle 2, which uses reversed graph embedding to reconstruct single-cell trajectories in a fully unsupervised manner. Monocle 2 learns an explicit principal graph to describe the data, greatly improving the robustness and accuracy of its trajectories compared to other algorithms. Monocle 2 uncovered a new, alternative cell fate in what we previously reported to be a linear trajectory for differentiating myoblasts. We also reconstruct branched trajectories for two studies of blood development, and show that loss of function mutations in key lineage transcription factors diverts cells to alternative branches on the a trajectory. Monocle 2 is thus a powerful tool for analyzing cell fate decisions with single-cell genomics.

scholarly journals Single-cell joint detection of chromatin occupancy and transcriptome enables higher-dimensional epigenomic reconstructions

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haiqing Xiong ◽  
Yingjie Luo ◽  
Qianhao Wang ◽  
Xianhong Yu ◽  
Aibin He
Keyword(s):  
Transcriptional Regulation ◽  
Single Cell ◽  
Cell Fate ◽  
Single Cells ◽  
Embryonic Stem ◽  
Joint Detection ◽  
Hematopoietic Stem ◽  
Cell Fate Decisions ◽  
Higher Dimensional ◽  
Context Specific

SUMMARYDeciphering mechanisms in cell fate decisions requires single-cell holistic reconstructions of multi-dimensional epigenome in transcriptional regulation. Here we develop CoTECH, a combinatorial barcoding method allowing for high-throughput single-cell joint detection of chromatin occupancy and transcriptome. First, we used CoTECH to examine bivalent histone marks (H3K4me3 and H3K27me3) with transcription from naïve to primed mouse embryonic stem cells. Concurrent bivalent marks in pseudo-single cells linked via transcriptome were computationally derived, resolving pseudotemporal bivalency trajectories and disentangling a context-specific interplay between H3K4me3/H3K27me3 and transcription level. Next, CoTECH with H3K27ac, an active enhancer marker, revealed the regulatory basis of endothelial-to-hematopoietic transition in two waves of hematopoietic cells and distinctive enhancer-gene linking schemes guiding hemogenic endothelial cell (HEC) emergence, indicating a unique epigenetic control of transcriptional regulation for hematopoietic stem cell priming. Together, CoTECH provides an efficient framework for single-cell co-assay of chromatin occupancy and transcription, thus, enabling higher-dimensional epigenomic reconstructions.

Single-cell epigenomics: Recording the past and predicting the future

Science ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 358 (6359) ◽  
pp. 69-75 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gavin Kelsey ◽  
Oliver Stegle ◽  
Wolf Reik
Keyword(s):  
Single Cell ◽  
Cell Fate ◽  
Past History ◽  
Cell Lineage ◽  
Cellular Heterogeneity ◽  
Cell Fate Decisions ◽  
Identify Transcription Factor ◽  
Future Potential ◽  
And Function ◽  
Transcription Factor Occupancy

Single-cell multi-omics has recently emerged as a powerful technology by which different layers of genomic output—and hence cell identity and function—can be recorded simultaneously. Integrating various components of the epigenome into multi-omics measurements allows for studying cellular heterogeneity at different time scales and for discovering new layers of molecular connectivity between the genome and its functional output. Measurements that are increasingly available range from those that identify transcription factor occupancy and initiation of transcription to long-lasting and heritable epigenetic marks such as DNA methylation. Together with techniques in which cell lineage is recorded, this multilayered information will provide insights into a cell’s past history and its future potential. This will allow new levels of understanding of cell fate decisions, identity, and function in normal development, physiology, and disease.

scholarly journals Single-embryo and single-blastomere immunoblotting reports protein expression heterogeneity in early-stage preimplantation embryos

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisabet Rosàs-Canyelles ◽  
Andrew J. Modzelewski ◽  
Lin He ◽  
Amy E. Herr
Keyword(s):  
Protein Expression ◽  
Single Cell ◽  
High Specificity ◽  
Preimplantation Development ◽  
Cellular Heterogeneity ◽  
Preimplantation Embryos ◽  
Rna Seq ◽  
Cell Fate Decisions ◽  
Single Blastomere ◽  
Β Tubulin

AbstractUnderstanding how a zygote develops from a single cell into a multicellular organism has benefitted from single-cell tools, including RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) and immunofluorescence (IF). However, scrutinizing inter- and intra-embryonic phenotypic variation is hindered by two fundamental limitations; the loose correlation between transcription and translation and the cross-reactivity of immunoreagents. To address these challenges, we describe a high-specificity microfluidic immunoblot optimized to quantify protein expression from all stages of mouse preimplantation development. Despite limited availability of isoform-specific immunoreagents, the immunoblot resolves inter-embryonic heterogeneity of embryo-specific isoforms (i.e., DICER-1). We observed significantly higher DICER-1 isoform expression in oocytes when compared to two-cell embryos, and further find that protein expression levels follow the same trend as mRNA for both the full-length and truncated DICER-1 isoforms. At the morula stage, we assayed both whole and disaggregated embryos for loading controls (β-tubulin, GAPDH) and markers that regulate cell fate decisions (CDX-2, SOX-2). In disaggregated morula, we found that cell volume showed positive, linear correlation with expression of β-tubulin and SOX-2. In dissociated two-cell and four-cell blastomeres, we detect significant inter-blastomeric variation in GADD45a expression, corroborating suspected cellular heterogeneity even in the earliest multicellular stage of preimplantation embryos. As RNA-Seq and other transcript-centric approaches continue to further probe preimplantation development, the demand for companion protein-based techniques rises. The reported microfluidic immunoblot serves as an essential tool for understanding mammalian development by providing high-specificity and direct measurements of protein targets at single-embryo and single-blastomere resolution.

scholarly journals Cryopreservation of human cancers conserves tumour heterogeneity for single-cell multi-omics analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sunny Z. Wu ◽  
Daniel L. Roden ◽  
Ghamdan Al-Eryani ◽  
Nenad Bartonicek ◽  
Kate Harvey ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Single Cell ◽  
Rna Sequencing ◽  
High Throughput ◽  
Single Cells ◽  
Cellular Heterogeneity ◽  
Tumour Heterogeneity ◽  
Fresh Tissue ◽  
Human Cancers ◽  
Cryopreserved Cell ◽  
Single Cell Rna Sequencing

Abstract Background High throughput single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-Seq) has emerged as a powerful tool for exploring cellular heterogeneity among complex human cancers. scRNA-Seq studies using fresh human surgical tissue are logistically difficult, preclude histopathological triage of samples, and limit the ability to perform batch processing. This hindrance can often introduce technical biases when integrating patient datasets and increase experimental costs. Although tissue preservation methods have been previously explored to address such issues, it is yet to be examined on complex human tissues, such as solid cancers and on high throughput scRNA-Seq platforms. Methods Using the Chromium 10X platform, we sequenced a total of ~ 120,000 cells from fresh and cryopreserved replicates across three primary breast cancers, two primary prostate cancers and a cutaneous melanoma. We performed detailed analyses between cells from each condition to assess the effects of cryopreservation on cellular heterogeneity, cell quality, clustering and the identification of gene ontologies. In addition, we performed single-cell immunophenotyping using CITE-Seq on a single breast cancer sample cryopreserved as solid tissue fragments. Results Tumour heterogeneity identified from fresh tissues was largely conserved in cryopreserved replicates. We show that sequencing of single cells prepared from cryopreserved tissue fragments or from cryopreserved cell suspensions is comparable to sequenced cells prepared from fresh tissue, with cryopreserved cell suspensions displaying higher correlations with fresh tissue in gene expression. We showed that cryopreservation had minimal impacts on the results of downstream analyses such as biological pathway enrichment. For some tumours, cryopreservation modestly increased cell stress signatures compared to freshly analysed tissue. Further, we demonstrate the advantage of cryopreserving whole-cells for detecting cell-surface proteins using CITE-Seq, which is impossible using other preservation methods such as single nuclei-sequencing. Conclusions We show that the viable cryopreservation of human cancers provides high-quality single-cells for multi-omics analysis. Our study guides new experimental designs for tissue biobanking for future clinical single-cell RNA sequencing studies.

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