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A single cell transcriptional atlas of early synovial joint development

ABSTRACT: Synovial joint development begins with the formation of the interzone, a region of condensed mesenchymal cells at the site of the prospective joint. Recently, lineage tracing strategies have revealed that Gdf5-lineage cells native to and from outside the interzone contribute to most, if not all, of the major joint components. However, there is limited knowledge of the specific transcriptional and signaling programs that regulate interzone formation and fate diversification of synovial joint constituents. To address this, we have performed single cell RNA-Seq analysis of 7,329 synovial joint progenitor cells from the developing murine knee joint from E12.5 to E15.5. By using a combination of computational analytics, in situ hybridization, and in vitro characterization of prospectively isolated populations, we have identified the transcriptional profiles of the major developmental paths for joint progenitors. Our freely available single cell transcriptional atlas will serve as a resource for the community to uncover transcriptional programs and cell interactions that regulate synovial joint development.

ORGANISM(S): Mus musculus

PROVIDER: GSE151985 | GEO | 2020/06/23

REPOSITORIES: GEO

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Project description:Objectives. Fibroblasts in synovium include fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS) in the lining and Thy1+ connective-tissue fibroblasts in the sub-lining. We aimed to investigate their developmental origin and relationship with adult progenitors. Methods. To discriminate between Gdf5-lineage cells deriving from the embryonic joint interzone and other Pdgfrα-expressing fibroblasts and progenitors, adult Gdf5-Cre;Tom;Pdgfrα-H2BGFP mice were used and cartilage injury was induced to activate progenitors. Cells were isolated from knees, sorted by fluorescence-activated cell-sorting based on developmental origin, and analysed by single-cell RNA-sequencing. Flow cytometry and immunohistochemistry were used for validation. Clonal-lineage mapping was performed using Gdf5-Cre;Confetti mice. Results. In steady state, Thy1+ sub-lining fibroblasts were of mixed ontogeny, while Thy1-Prg4+ lining fibroblasts predominantly derived from the embryonic joint interzone. The latter included Prg4-expressing progenitors distinct from molecularly defined FLS. Clonal-lineage tracing revealed compartmentalisation of Gdf5-lineage fibroblasts between lining and sub-lining. Following injury, lining hyperplasia resulted from proliferation and differentiation of Prg4-expressing progenitors, with additional recruitment of non-Gdf5-lineage cells, into FLS. Consistent with this, a second population of proliferating cells, enriched near blood vessels in the sub-lining, supplied activated multipotent cells predicted to give rise to Thy1+ fibroblasts, and to feed into the FLS differentiation trajectory. Transcriptional programmes regulating fibroblast differentiation trajectories were uncovered, identifying Sox5 and Foxo1 as key FLS transcription factors in mice and humans. Conclusions. Our data blueprint a cell atlas of mouse synovial fibroblasts and progenitors in healthy and injured knees, and provide novel insights into the cellular and molecular principles governing the organisation and maintenance of adult synovial joints.

Project description:Objective: Joint formation begins with the establishment of an interzone within the cartilaginous anlagen of the future skeleton and both Gdf5 and Erg are proposed as regulators of chondrocyte differentiation during and post interzone formation. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between Gdf5 and Erg expression and downstream effects on chondrocyte gene expression. Design: Erg expression was identified in mouse knee joints at E13.5. Expression and microarray analyses were performed using micromass cultures of murine C3H10T1/2 mesenchymal cells undergoing induced chondrogenesis in the presence of absence of Gdf5 and Erg. Results: At E13.5, Erg expression was found to surround epiphyseal chondrocytes and span the interzone up to the intermediate zone. Erg splice forms were expressed in micromass cultures, and their expression profile was altered by the addition of recombinant Gdf5 depending on the stage of differentiation. Overexpression of Erg-010 resulted in a downregulation of Col2a1 and Col10a1. Microarray analysis following Erg-010 overexpression identified two potential downstream targets, Ube2b and Osr2, which were also differentially regulated by Gdf5. Conclusion: Erg regulation by Gdf5 in mesenchymal cells in vitro is dependent on the stage of chondrogenesis, and its expression in vivo demarcates chondrocytes that are not destined to be consumed by endochondral ossification. Functionally, Erg expression causes downregulation of Col2a1 and Col10a1 expression and this effect is potentially mediated by Osr2, which is a known regulator of chondrocyte differentiation. The identification of Ube2b as a putative downstream target of Erg-010 suggests that it may contribute to the regulation of the ubiquitination pathway and thereby BMP2 signaling, which is essential for normal knee joint development. RNA from overexpression experiments was extracted as described above. Total RNA quality was confirmed using a Bioanalyzer 2100 (Agilent). Labelled targets were generated from total RNA and hybridized to GeneChip Mouse Genome 430 2.0 arrays (Affymatrix) (Genomics Centre, University of Manchester). The raw fluorescence intensity values were normalized using a Robust Multi-array Average approach using dChip (V2005)

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A single cell transcriptional atlas of early synovial joint development

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