Open AccessSingle cell expression analysis reveals anatomical and cell cycle-dependent transcriptional shifts during heart development
Author(s) -
Guang Li,
Lei Tian,
William R. Goodyer,
Eric J. Kort,
Jan W. Buikema,
Adele Xu,
Sean M. Wu,
Stefan Jovinge
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.15
H-Index - 36
eISSN - 1477-9129
pISSN - 0950-1991
DOI - 10.1242/dev.173476
Subject(s) - biology , cell cycle , heart development , microbiology and biotechnology , gene expression , cell , cell growth , morphogenesis , cell type , gene , single cell analysis , embryonic heart , embryonic stem cell , regulation of gene expression , genetics
The heart is a complex organ composed of multiple cell and tissue types. Cardiac cells from different regions of the growing embryonic heart exhibit distinct patterns of gene expression, which are thought to contribute to heart development and morphogenesis. Single cell RNA sequencing allows genome-wide analysis of gene expression at the single cell level. Here, we analyzed cardiac cells derived from early stage developing hearts by single cell RNA-seq and identified cell cycle gene expression as a major determinant of transcriptional variation. Within cell cycle stage-matched CMs from a given heart chamber, we found that CMs in the G2/M phase downregulated sarcomeric and cytoskeletal markers. We also identified cell location-specific signaling molecules that may influence the proliferation of other nearby cell types. Our data highlight how variations in cell cycle activity selectively promote cardiac chamber growth during development, reveal profound chamber-specific cell cycle-linked transcriptional shifts, and open the way to deeper understanding of pathogenesis of congenital heart disease.