Single-Cell Transcriptome Profiling of Mouse and hESC-Derived Pancreatic Progenitors

Nicole A J Krentz; Michelle Y Y Lee; Eric E Xu; Shannon L J Sproul; Alexandra Maslova; Shugo Sasaki; Francis C Lynn

doi:10.1016/j.stemcr.2018.11.008

Single-Cell Transcriptome Profiling of Mouse and hESC-Derived Pancreatic Progenitors

Stem Cell Reports. 2018 Dec 11;11(6):1551-1564. doi: 10.1016/j.stemcr.2018.11.008.

Authors

Nicole A J Krentz¹, Michelle Y Y Lee², Eric E Xu³, Shannon L J Sproul³, Alexandra Maslova⁴, Shugo Sasaki³, Francis C Lynn⁵

Affiliations

¹ Diabetes Research Group, BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, BC V5Z 4H4, Canada; Departments of Surgery and Cellular and Physiological Sciences, University of British Columbia, 950 28(th) Avenue West, Vancouver, BC V5Z4H4, Canada. Electronic address: nkrentz@alumni.ubc.ca.
² Diabetes Research Group, BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, BC V5Z 4H4, Canada.
³ Diabetes Research Group, BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, BC V5Z 4H4, Canada; Departments of Surgery and Cellular and Physiological Sciences, University of British Columbia, 950 28(th) Avenue West, Vancouver, BC V5Z4H4, Canada.
⁴ Graduate Program in Bioinformatics, University of British Columbia, 100-570 7(th) Avenue West, Vancouver, BC V5Z 4S6, Canada.
⁵ Diabetes Research Group, BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, BC V5Z 4H4, Canada; Departments of Surgery and Cellular and Physiological Sciences, University of British Columbia, 950 28(th) Avenue West, Vancouver, BC V5Z4H4, Canada. Electronic address: francis.lynn@ubc.ca.

Abstract

Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) are a potential unlimited source of insulin-producing β cells for diabetes treatment. A greater understanding of how β cells form during embryonic development will improve current hESC differentiation protocols. All pancreatic endocrine cells, including β cells, are derived from Neurog3-expressing endocrine progenitors. This study characterizes the single-cell transcriptomes of 6,905 mouse embryonic day (E) 15.5 and 6,626 E18.5 pancreatic cells isolated from Neurog3-Cre; Rosa26^mT/mG embryos, allowing for enrichment of endocrine progenitors (yellow; tdTomato + EGFP) and endocrine cells (green; EGFP). Using a NEUROG3-2A-eGFP CyT49 hESC reporter line (N5-5), 4,462 hESC-derived GFP+ cells were sequenced. Differential expression analysis revealed enrichment of markers that are consistent with progenitor, endocrine, or previously undescribed cell-state populations. This study characterizes the single-cell transcriptomes of mouse and hESC-derived endocrine progenitors and serves as a resource (https://lynnlab.shinyapps.io/embryonic_pancreas) for improving the formation of functional β-like cells from hESCs.

Keywords: CyT49; Neurog3; cell therapy; diabetes; endocrine progenitors; hESCs; mT/mG; pancreas development; scRNA-seq.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Animals
Cell Differentiation
Cell Lineage
Embryo, Mammalian / cytology
Human Embryonic Stem Cells / metabolism*
Humans
Mice
Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells / metabolism*
Pancreas / cytology*
RNA / metabolism
Single-Cell Analysis*
Time Factors
Transcriptome / genetics*

Substances

RNA