Single cell mRNA sequencing on esophageal and lingual cells

In this study, we uncovered through single cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) of mouse esophagus epithelium a population of taste buds clustered in the cervical segment of the esophagus. We compared this taste bud population to their lingual counterpart. We concluded that these taste buds have the same cellular composition than the ones from the tongue. State-of-the-art transcriptional regulatory network analysis allowed the identification of specific transcription factors associated to the differentiation of immature progenitors into the three different taste bud cell types in the tongue and the esophagus. Oesophageal and lingual single cell mRNA profiles of wild type or Krt8-YFP mice by deep sequencing using 10x genomic and Illumina