Identification of quiescence and early activation genes in satellite cells

We report the transcriptional changes that occur during the isolation procedure of adult skeletal muscle stem cells (MuSCs). We have developed a protocol that is based on the in situ fixation of MuSCs before isolation. The transcriptome of the in situ fixed cells was compared to that of MuSCs isolated using the standard mechanical/enzymatic isolation protocol. The differentially expressed transcripts represent early-response genes, involved in quiescence and activation of MuSCs, but also isolation-induced artefacts. Overall design: RNA-seq analysis of muscle stem cells that were either: fixed in situ (T0), isolated with the traditional protocols (T3) or isolated with the traditional protocols + incubated at 37C for additional 2h (T5).