Single-cell analysis of progenitor cell dynamics and lineage specification in the human fetal kidney. Author Rajasree Menon, Edgar Otto, Austin Kokoruda, Jian Zhou, Zidong Zhang, Euisik Yoon, Yu-Chih Chen, Olga Troyanskaya, Jason Spence, Matthias Kretzler, Cristina Cebrián Publication Year 2018 Type Journal Article Abstract The mammalian kidney develops through reciprocal interactions between the ureteric bud and the metanephric mesenchyme to give rise to the entire collecting system and the nephrons. Most of our knowledge of the developmental regulators driving this process arises from the study of gene expression and functional genetics in mice and other animal models. In order to shed light on human kidney development, we have used single-cell transcriptomics to characterize gene expression in different cell populations, and to study individual cell dynamics and lineage trajectories during development. Single-cell transcriptome analyses of 6414 cells from five individual specimens identified 11 initial clusters of specific renal cell types as defined by their gene expression profile. Further subclustering identifies progenitors, and mature and intermediate stages of differentiation for several renal lineages. Other lineages identified include mesangium, stroma, endothelial and immune cells. Novel markers for these cell types were revealed in the analysis, as were components of key signaling pathways driving renal development in animal models. Altogether, we provide a comprehensive and dynamic gene expression profile of the developing human kidney at the single-cell level. Keywords Animals, Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental, Signal Transduction, Mice, Humans, Gene Expression Profiling, Cell Lineage, Stem Cells, Kidney, Fetus Journal Development Volume 145 Issue 16 Date Published 08/2018 ISSN Number 1477-9129 DOI 10.1242/dev.164038 Alternate Journal Development PMCID PMC6124540 PMID 30166318 PubMedPubMed CentralGoogle ScholarBibTeXEndNote X3 XML