Cell-type identity of the avian utricle

The avian utricle, a vestibular organ of the inner ear, displays turnover of sensory hair cells throughout life. This is in sharp contrast to the mammalian utricle, which shows limited regenerative capacity. Here, we use single-cell RNA-sequencing to identify distinct marker genes for the different sensory hair cell subtypes of the chicken utricle, which we validated in situ . We provide markers for spatially distinct supporting cell populations, and identified two transitional cell populations of dedifferentiating supporting cells and developing hair cells. Trajectory reconstruction resulted in an inventory of gene expression dynamics of natural hair cell generation in the avian utricle. Overall design: Utricles were dissected, single cells were deposited into individual wells of 96-well plates using flow cytometry and processed for single-cell RNA-sequencing

鸟类椭圆囊（avian utricle）作为内耳的前庭器官，其感觉毛细胞的更新贯穿整个生命周期。这与再生能力受限的哺乳动物椭圆囊形成鲜明对比。本研究通过单细胞RNA测序（single-cell RNA-sequencing）技术，鉴定出鸡椭圆囊内不同感觉毛细胞亚型的特异性标记基因，并通过原位实验完成验证。我们还鉴定出空间分布特异的支持细胞群的标记基因，并发现两类过渡细胞群：去分化支持细胞与发育中的毛细胞。轨迹重构分析完整梳理了鸟类椭圆囊内天然毛细胞发生过程中的基因表达动态变化。实验整体设计：解剖分离椭圆囊，利用流式细胞术将单细胞接种至96孔板的单个孔内，随后进行单细胞RNA测序实验。