Single-cell RNA-sequencing of differentiating iPS cells reveals dynamic genetic effects on gene expression.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 32041960.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-020-14457-z and PMC identifier 7010688.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Recent developments in stem cell biology have enabled the study of cell fate decisions in early human development that are impossible to study in vivo. However, understanding how development varies across individuals and, in particular, the influence of common genetic variants during this process has not been characterised. Here, we exploit human iPS cell lines from 125 donors, a pooled experimental design, and single-cell RNA-sequencing to study population variation of endoderm differentiation. We identify molecular markers that are predictive of differentiation efficiency of individual lines, and utilise heterogeneity in the genetic background across individuals to map hundreds of expression quantitative trait loci that influence expression dynamically during differentiation and across cellular contexts.
Medical subject headings
- Cell Differentiation
- Gene Expression
- Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells