Single-Cell Transcriptomic Analysis Reveals Novel Cell Signaling Networks in Human Embryonic Development
Keywords:
Single-Cell RNA Sequencing (scRNA-seq), Human Embryonic Development, Cell Signaling Pathways, Lineage Specification, WNT Signaling, FGF and TGF-β Pathways, Ligand-Receptor Interactions, Transcriptomic Profiling, Developmental Biology, Regenerative MedicineAbstract
Even in the realm of human embryonic development, there is a fundamental hope to comprehend the complicated, cellular and molecular mechanisms that underlie this process. Here we report a comprehensive single cell transcriptomic analysis of early human embryos to build a map of the early signaling networks and dictate how different cell types develop. We profiled over 50,000 cells across critical time points in early embryogenesis, with high throughput single cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq), revealing transcriptomic signatures of ectoderm, mesoderm, endoderm, and extraembryonic lineages. These trajectories and the associated transitions were clustered and the transitions subsequently inferred. Interestingly, we observed novel signalling interaction including unique ligand receptor pair and transcriptional regulators active in niche specific way. They were next functionally enriched and pathway coactivated in cell fate commitment, tissue morphogenesis and interlineage communication. These findings demonstrate how human embryonic signaling dynamics are spatial and temporal, and set a priceless resource for regenerative medicine and developmental biology.
