A human cell atlas of fetal gene expression Cao, Junyue; O'Day, Diana R; Pliner, Hannah A ...
Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science),
11/2020, Letnik:
370, Številka:
6518
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
The gene expression program underlying the specification of human cell types is of fundamental interest. We generated human cell atlases of gene expression and chromatin accessibility in fetal ...tissues. For gene expression, we applied three-level combinatorial indexing to >110 samples representing 15 organs, ultimately profiling ~4 million single cells. We leveraged the literature and other atlases to identify and annotate hundreds of cell types and subtypes, both within and across tissues. Our analyses focused on organ-specific specializations of broadly distributed cell types (such as blood, endothelial, and epithelial), sites of fetal erythropoiesis (which notably included the adrenal gland), and integration with mouse developmental atlases (such as conserved specification of blood cells). These data represent a rich resource for the exploration of in vivo human gene expression in diverse tissues and cell types.
A human cell atlas of fetal chromatin accessibility Domcke, Silvia; Hill, Andrew J; Daza, Riza M ...
Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science),
11/2020, Letnik:
370, Številka:
6518
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
The chromatin landscape underlying the specification of human cell types is of fundamental interest. We generated human cell atlases of chromatin accessibility and gene expression in fetal tissues. ...For chromatin accessibility, we devised a three-level combinatorial indexing assay and applied it to 53 samples representing 15 organs, profiling ~800,000 single cells. We leveraged cell types defined by gene expression to annotate these data and cataloged hundreds of thousands of candidate regulatory elements that exhibit cell type-specific chromatin accessibility. We investigated the properties of lineage-specific transcription factors (such as POU2F1 in neurons), organ-specific specializations of broadly distributed cell types (such as blood and endothelial), and cell type-specific enrichments of complex trait heritability. These data represent a rich resource for the exploration of in vivo human gene regulation in diverse tissues and cell types.
The human neonatal cerebellum is one-fourth of its adult size yet contains the blueprint required to integrate environmental cues with developing motor, cognitive and emotional skills into adulthood. ...Although mature cerebellar neuroanatomy is well studied, understanding of its developmental origins is limited. In this study, we systematically mapped the molecular, cellular and spatial composition of human fetal cerebellum by combining laser capture microscopy and SPLiT-seq single-nucleus transcriptomics. We profiled functionally distinct regions and gene expression dynamics within cell types and across development. The resulting cell atlas demonstrates that the molecular organization of the cerebellar anlage recapitulates cytoarchitecturally distinct regions and developmentally transient cell types that are distinct from the mouse cerebellum. By mapping genes dominant for pediatric and adult neurological disorders onto our dataset, we identify relevant cell types underlying disease mechanisms. These data provide a resource for probing the cellular basis of human cerebellar development and disease.
Bud tip progenitor cells give rise to all murine lung epithelial lineages and have been described in the developing human lung; however, the mechanisms controlling human bud tip differentiation into ...specific lineages are unclear. Here, we used homogeneous human bud tip organoid cultures and identified SMAD signaling as a key regulator of the bud tip-to-airway transition. SMAD induction led to the differentiation of airway-like organoids possessing functional basal cells capable of clonal expansion and multilineage differentiation. To benchmark in vitro-derived organoids, we developed a single-cell mRNA sequencing atlas of the human lung from 11.5 to 21 weeks of development, which revealed high degrees of similarity between the in vitro-derived and in vivo airway. Together, this work sheds light on human airway differentiation in vitro and provides a single-cell atlas of the developing human lung.
•SMAD activation induces human lung bud tip organoids into an airway fate•Human airway organoids possess basal, secretory, multiciliated, and neuroendocrine cells•In vitro organoids were compared with the developing human lung using scRNA-seq•In vitro-derived basal cells were functional and highly similar to human basal cells
Miller et al. show that transient SMAD activation followed by inhibition patterns human lung bud tip progenitor organoids to functional airway cell types, including basal cells. Comparison of the organoids and the human lung epithelium developing in vivo by scRNA-seq demonstrates a high degree of transcriptomic similarity.
Clinical and genetic heterogeneity associated with retinal diseases makes stem-cell-based therapies an attractive strategy for personalized medicine. However, we have limited understanding of the ...timing of key events in the developing human retina, and in particular the factors critical for generating the unique architecture of the fovea and surrounding macula. Here we define three key epochs in the transcriptome dynamics of human retina from fetal day (D) 52 to 136. Coincident histological analyses confirmed the cellular basis of transcriptional changes and highlighted the dramatic acceleration of development in the fovea compared with peripheral retina. Human and mouse retinal transcriptomes show remarkable similarity in developmental stages, although morphogenesis was greatly expanded in humans. Integration of DNA accessibility data allowed us to reconstruct transcriptional networks controlling photoreceptor differentiation. Our studies provide insights into human retinal development and serve as a resource for molecular staging of human stem-cell-derived retinal organoids.
•Transcriptomes of developing human retina reveal compartmentalized neurogenesis•Fovea differentiation, including lamination, is complete long before nasal retina•Combined RNA-seq and DNase analysis reveals developmental regulatory networks•Provides a reference for molecular staging of retinal organoids from human stem cells
Hoshino et al. describe transcriptome dynamics and spatiotemporal analyses of developing human retina, demonstrating distinct periods of neurogenesis in the fovea versus nasal retina. Comparison with mouse retinal transcriptomes and integration with open chromatin datasets reveal evolutionary conservation of developmental regulatory networks and unique characteristics of human retinal differentiation.
Joubert syndrome (JBTS) is a recessive ciliopathy in which a subset of affected individuals also have the skeletal dysplasia Jeune asphyxiating thoracic dystrophy (JATD). Here, we have identified ...biallelic truncating CSPP1 (centrosome and spindle pole associated protein 1) mutations in 19 JBTS-affected individuals, four of whom also have features of JATD. CSPP1 mutations explain ∼5% of JBTS in our cohort, and despite truncating mutations in all affected individuals, the range of phenotypic severity is broad. Morpholino knockdown of cspp1 in zebrafish caused phenotypes reported in other zebrafish models of JBTS (curved body shape, pronephric cysts, and cerebellar abnormalities) and reduced ciliary localization of Arl13b, further supporting loss of CSPP1 function as a cause of JBTS. Fibroblasts from affected individuals with CSPP1 mutations showed reduced numbers of primary cilia and/or short primary cilia, as well as reduced axonemal localization of ciliary proteins ARL13B and adenylyl cyclase III. In summary, CSPP1 mutations are a major cause of the Joubert-Jeune phenotype in humans; however, the mechanism by which these mutations lead to both JBTS and JATD remains unknown.
We present histological and molecular analyses of the developing human cerebellum from 30 days after conception to 9 months after birth. Differences in developmental patterns between humans and mice ...include spatiotemporal expansion of both ventricular and rhombic lip primary progenitor zones to include subventricular zones containing basal progenitors. The human rhombic lip persists longer through cerebellar development than in the mouse and undergoes morphological changes to form a progenitor pool in the posterior lobule, which is not seen in other organisms, not even in the nonhuman primate the macaque. Disruptions in human rhombic lip development are associated with posterior cerebellar vermis hypoplasia and Dandy-Walker malformation. The presence of these species-specific neural progenitor populations refines our insight into human cerebellar developmental disorders.
VPS13 protein family members VPS13A through VPS13C have been associated with various recessive movement disorders. We describe the first disease association of rare recessive VPS13D variants ...including frameshift, missense, and partial duplication mutations with a novel complex, hyperkinetic neurological disorder. The clinical features include developmental delay, a childhood onset movement disorder (chorea, dystonia, or tremor), and progressive spastic ataxia or paraparesis. Characteristic brain magnetic resonance imaging shows basal ganglia or diffuse white matter T2 hyperintensities as seen in Leigh syndrome and choreoacanthocytosis. Muscle biopsy in 1 case showed mitochondrial aggregates and lipidosis, suggesting mitochondrial dysfunction. These findings underline the importance of the VPS13 complex in neurological diseases and a possible role in mitochondrial function. Ann Neurol 2018;83:1089–1095
To study the development of the human retina, we use single-cell RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) at key fetal stages and follow the development of the major cell types as well as populations of transitional ...cells. We also analyze stem cell (hPSC)-derived retinal organoids; although organoids have a very similar cellular composition at equivalent ages as the fetal retina, there are some differences in gene expression of particular cell types. Moreover, the inner retinal lamination is disrupted at more advanced stages of organoids compared with fetal retina. To determine whether the disorganization in the inner retina is due to the culture conditions, we analyze retinal development in fetal retina maintained under similar conditions. These retinospheres develop for at least 6 months, displaying better inner retinal lamination than retinal organoids. Our single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) comparisons of fetal retina, retinal organoids, and retinospheres provide a resource for developing better in vitro models for retinal disease.
Display omitted
•scRNA-seq of human retina highlights key developmental transition states•hPSC-derived retinal organoids mimic fetal retinal cellular composition•Inner layers in organoids exhibit differences in gene expression and organization•Fetal retinal cultures resemble organoids but maintain better inner lamination
To determine how closely iPSC-derived retinal organoids model development, Sridhar et al. use scRNA-seq to compare organoids with fetal retina. Despite some defects in inner retinal lamination, organoids closely mimic fetal development in timing and cell composition. Our data provide a resource for improving organoid models for retinal disease.
Medulloblastoma, a malignant childhood cerebellar tumour, segregates molecularly into biologically distinct subgroups, suggesting that a personalized approach to therapy would be beneficial
. Mouse ...modelling and cross-species genomics have provided increasing evidence of discrete, subgroup-specific developmental origins
. However, the anatomical and cellular complexity of developing human tissues
-particularly within the rhombic lip germinal zone, which produces all glutamatergic neuronal lineages before internalization into the cerebellar nodulus-makes it difficult to validate previous inferences that were derived from studies in mice. Here we use multi-omics to resolve the origins of medulloblastoma subgroups in the developing human cerebellum. Molecular signatures encoded within a human rhombic-lip-derived lineage trajectory aligned with photoreceptor and unipolar brush cell expression profiles that are maintained in group 3 and group 4 medulloblastoma, suggesting a convergent basis. A systematic diagnostic-imaging review of a prospective institutional cohort localized the putative anatomical origins of group 3 and group 4 tumours to the nodulus. Our results connect the molecular and phenotypic features of clinically challenging medulloblastoma subgroups to their unified beginnings in the rhombic lip in the early stages of human development.