1. A multiscale model via single-cell transcriptomics reveals robust patterning mechanisms during early mammalian embryo development.
- Author
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Cang Z, Wang Y, Wang Q, Cho KWY, Holmes W, and Nie Q
- Subjects
- Animals, Embryo, Mammalian cytology, Embryo, Mammalian metabolism, Embryo, Mammalian physiology, Mice, Single-Cell Analysis, Embryonic Development genetics, Germ Layers cytology, Germ Layers metabolism, Germ Layers physiology, Models, Biological, Transcriptome genetics
- Abstract
During early mammalian embryo development, a small number of cells make robust fate decisions at particular spatial locations in a tight time window to form inner cell mass (ICM), and later epiblast (Epi) and primitive endoderm (PE). While recent single-cell transcriptomics data allows scrutinization of heterogeneity of individual cells, consistent spatial and temporal mechanisms the early embryo utilize to robustly form the Epi/PE layers from ICM remain elusive. Here we build a multiscale three-dimensional model for mammalian embryo to recapitulate the observed patterning process from zygote to late blastocyst. By integrating the spatiotemporal information reconstructed from multiple single-cell transcriptomic datasets, the data-informed modeling analysis suggests two major processes critical to the formation of Epi/PE layers: a selective cell-cell adhesion mechanism (via EphA4/EphrinB2) for fate-location coordination and a temporal attenuation mechanism of cell signaling (via Fgf). Spatial imaging data and distinct subsets of single-cell gene expression data are then used to validate the predictions. Together, our study provides a multiscale framework that incorporates single-cell gene expression datasets to analyze gene regulations, cell-cell communications, and physical interactions among cells in complex geometries at single-cell resolution, with direct application to late-stage development of embryogenesis., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
- Published
- 2021
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