Phenotypic Convergence: Distinct Transcription Factors Regulate Common Terminal Features.

ABSTRACT: Transcription factors regulate the molecular, morphological, and physiological characteristics of neurons and generate their impressive cell-type diversity. To gain insight into the general principles that govern how transcription factors regulate cell-type diversity, we used large-scale single-cell RNA sequencing to characterize the extensive cellular diversity in the Drosophila optic lobes. We sequenced 55,000 single cells and assigned them to 52 clusters. We validated and annotated many clusters using RNA sequencing of FACS-sorted single-cell types and cluster-specific genes. To identify transcription factors responsible for inducing specific terminal differentiation features, we generated a "random forest" model, and we showed that the transcription factors Apterous and Traffic-jam are

SUBMITTER: Konstantinides N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6082168 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature