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SPaRTAN, a computational framework for linking cell-surface receptors to transcriptional regulators

ABSTRACT: The identity and functions of specialized cell types are dependent on the complex interplay between signaling and transcriptional networks. Recently single-cell technologies such as CITE-seq have been developed that enable simultaneous quantitative analysis of cell-surface receptor expression with transcriptional states. To date, these datasets have not been used to systematically develop cell-context-specific maps of the interface between signaling and transcriptional regulators orchestrating cellular identity and function. We present SPaRTAN (Single-cell Proteomic and RNA based Transcription factor Activity Network), a computational method to link cell-surface receptors to transcription factors (TFs) by exploiting cellular indexing of transcriptomes and epitopes by sequencing (CITE-seq) datasets with cis-regulatory information. SPaRTAN is applied to immune cell types in the blood to predict the coupling of signaling receptors with cell context-specific TFs. The predictions are validated by prior knowledge and flow cytometry analyses. SPaRTAN is then used to predict the signaling coupled TF states of tumor infiltrating CD8+ T cells in malignant peritoneal and pleural mesotheliomas. SPaRTAN greatly enhances the utility of CITE-seq datasets to uncover TF and cell-surface receptor relationships in diverse cellular states.

ORGANISM(S): Homo sapiens

PROVIDER: GSE172155 | GEO | 2021/08/16

REPOSITORIES: GEO

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Project description:Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) is an invaluable tool for profiling cells in complex tissues and dissecting activation states that lack well-defined surface protein expression. For immune cells, the transcriptomic profile captured by scRNA- seq cannot always identify cell states and subsets defined by conventional flow cytometry. Emerging technologies have enabled multimodal sequencing of single cells, such as paired sequencing of the transcriptome and surface proteome by CITE-seq, but integrating these high dimensional modalities for accurate cell type annotation remains a challenge in the field. Here, we describe a machine learning tool called MultiModal Classifier Hierarchy (MMoCHi) for the cell-type annotation of CITE-seq data. Our classifier involves several steps: 1) we use landmark registration to remove batch-related staining artifacts in CITE-Seq protein expression, 2) the user defines a hierarchy of classifications based on cell type similarity and ontology and provides markers (protein or gene expression) for the identification of ground truth populations within the dataset by threshold gating, 3) progressing through this user-defined hierarchy, we train a random forest classifier using all available modalities (surface proteome and transcriptome data), and 4) we use these forests to predict cell types across the entire dataset. Applying MMoCHi to CITE-seq data of immune cells isolated from eight distinct tissue sites of two human organ donors yields high-purity cell type annotations encompassing the broad array of immune cell states in the dataset. This includes T and B cell memory subsets, macrophages and monocytes, and natural killer cells, as well as rare populations of plasmacytoid dendritic cells, innate T cells, and innate lymphoid cell subsets. We validate the use of feature importances extracted from the classifier hierarchy to select robust genes for improved identification of T cell memory subsets by scRNA-seq. Together, MMoCHi provides a comprehensive system of tools for the batch-correction and cell- type annotation of CITE-seq data. Moreover, this tool provides flexibility in classification hierarchy design allowing for cell type annotations to reflect a researcher’s specific experimental design. This flexibility also renders MMoCHi readily extendable beyond immune cell annotation, and potentially adaptable to other sequencing modalities.

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SPaRTAN, a computational framework for linking cell-surface receptors to transcriptional regulators

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