Single-cell stabilization method identifies gonadotrope transcriptional dynamics and pituitary cell type heterogeneity.

ABSTRACT: Immediate-early response genes (IEGs) are rapidly and transiently induced following an extracellular signal. Elucidating the IEG response patterns in single cells (SCs) requires assaying large numbers of timed samples at high accuracy while minimizing handling effects. To achieve this, we developed and validated RNA stabilization Buffer for Examination of Single-cell Transcriptomes (RNA-Best), a versatile single-step cell and tissue preservation protocol that stabilizes RNA in intact SCs without perturbing transcription patterns. We characterize for the first time SC heterogeneity in IEG responses to pulsatile gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) stimuli in pituitary gonadotrope cells. Our study identifies a gene-specific hierarchical pattern of all-or-none transcript induction elicited b

SUBMITTER: Ruf-Zamojski F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6265460 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature