Defining cell populations with single-cell gene expression profiling: correlations and identification of astrocyte subpopulations.
Artikel i vetenskaplig tidskrift, 2011
Single-cell gene expression levels show substantial variations among cells in seemingly homogenous populations. Astrocytes perform many control and regulatory functions in the central nervous system. In contrast to neurons, we have limited knowledge about functional diversity of astrocytes and its molecular basis. To study astrocyte heterogeneity and stem/progenitor cell properties of astrocytes, we used single-cell gene expression profiling in primary mouse astrocytes and dissociated mouse neurosphere cells. The transcript number variability for astrocytes showed lognormal features and revealed that cells in primary cultures to a large extent co-express markers of astrocytes and neural stem/progenitor cells. We show how subpopulations of cells can be identified at single-cell level using unsupervised algorithms and that gene correlations can be used to identify differences in activity of important transcriptional pathways. We identified two subpopulations of astrocytes with distinct gene expression profiles. One had an expression profile very similar to that of neurosphere cells, whereas the other showed characteristics of activated astrocytes in vivo.
Gene Expression Profiling
Mice
Gene Expression
metabolism
analysis
classification
methods
metabolism
Animals
Messenger
RNA
Stem Cells
Cells
Astrocytes
Cultured
Single-Cell Analysis
Up-Regulation
Författare
Anders Ståhlberg
Göteborgs universitet
Daniel Andersson
Göteborgs universitet
Johan Aurelius
Göteborgs universitet
Maryam Faiz
Göteborgs universitet
Marcela Pekna
Göteborgs universitet
Mikael Kubista
Milos Pekny
Göteborgs universitet
Nucleic Acids Research
0305-1048 (ISSN) 1362-4962 (eISSN)
Vol. 39 4 e24-Ämneskategorier
MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP
DOI
10.1093/nar/gkq1182
PubMed
21112872