Single-Cell Transcriptome Atlas of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells Derived from Umbilical Cords during Passaging

The immunosuppressive properties of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) derived from umbilical cords have been clinically used to treat many clinical diseases, such as graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). Due to batch-to-batch variability, the obtained results are frequently variable and may depend on the different MSC origin as well as harvesting and culture procedures. The quality control of MSC product to treat many clinical diseases is still ambiguous. The recent emergence of single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) methods allows us to investigate cellular heterogeneity at single cell resolution and uncovers unknown mechanisms underlying diseases and tissue development. However, the cellular landscape of human umbilical cord-derived MSCs has barely been explored at single-cell resolution. .In summary, our work provides timely and exciting insights into MSC heterogeneity on multiple levels. In addition to resource value, this MSC atlas taxonomy provides a comprehensive understanding of cellular heterogeneity, revealing the potential improvements in MSC-based therapeutic efficacy. Examination of 4 MSC samples from 2 donors using single-cell RNAseq at different cell passage.