Project description:We describe a so far uncharacterized, embryonic and self-renewing Neural Plate Border Stem Cell (NBSC) population with the capacity to differentiate into central nervous and neural crest lineages. NBSCs can be obtained by neural transcription factor-mediated reprogramming (BRN2, SOX2, KLF4, and ZIC3) of human adult dermal fibroblasts and peripheral blood cells (induced Neural Plate Border Stem Cells, iNBSCs) or by directed differentiation from human induced pluripotent stem cells (NBSCs). Moreover, human (i)NBSCs share molecular and functional features with an endogenous NBSC population isolated from neural folds of E8.5 mouse embryos. Upon differentiation, iNBSCs give rise to either (1) radial glia-type stem cells, dopaminergic and serotonergic neurons, motoneurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes or (2) cells from the neural crest lineage. Here we provide single cell RNA-sequencing data of two primary mouse Neural Plate Border Stem Cell Lines (pNBSCs). pNBSCs were single cell sorted and RNA sequencing was performed following the Smart-seq2 protocol. In sum, pNBSCs and iNBSCs share a similar regional identity, expression signature and analogous differentiation dynamics on the single-cell-level, suggesting the presence of a transient, NBSC-like progenitor during the neurulation stage of mouse and likely also human embryos.
Project description:Sall4 is a stem cell factor which is important for embryogenesis. We have genetically modified Sall4 in mouse embryonic stem cells to access the transcriptional changes. There are three different genetic modifications for the ES cells in the form of Sall4 Knockout (KO), Sall4 Zinc Finger Cluster 4 Mutation (ZFC4mut) and Sall4 Zinc Finger Cluster 1-2 Deletion (ZFC1-2Δ) respectively that we have considered for our study. Cells were subjected to neural differentiation and directly lysed on the plate at the appropriate timepoint and RNA was sequenced.