Single-cell transcriptome dynamics in stabilized pituitary gonadotrope cells [mini_dropseq]

Studying dynamic transcripts in single cells (SC) requires large numbers of timed samples. We report an easy to use protocol to stabilize RNA in intact SCs without perturbing transcriptional patterns, and demonstrate its applicability for SC transcriptome assays with cells and tissue. We identify a gene-specific hierarchical pattern of all-or-none transcript induction elicited by different concentrations of pulsatile hormone stimuli in pituitary gonadotropes. SC Mini Drop-seq experiments were performed on two samples from dissociated human cortical tissue: one is neocortex from a glioblastoma multiforme (GBM, tumor), the other is normal neocortex adjacent to the tumor.