single-cell transcriptomic sequencing of 24,370 adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells

Adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADSCs) show considerable promise for clinical applications in regenerative medicine. However, our understanding of the intrapopulation heterogeneity and the pattern of lineage priming of cultured ADSCs has been impeded by technical challenges. The lack of a thorough understanding of the cellular heterogeneity of ADSCs has hampered the development of an efficient and reproducible clinical application. Single-cell RNA-seq gives us an unprecedented chance to understand these aspects of ADSCs in great detail. Here, we provide the first comprehensive study of the cellular heterogeneity and lineage priming in cultured ADSCs by large-scale single-cell transcriptomic sequencing. We aim to 1) dissect the heterogeneity of ADSCs in an unbiased manner, 2) unravel the pattern of lineage priming at a single-cell resolution, and 3) test the hypothesis that cell cycle phase affects cellular response to differentiation cues in multipotent stem cells.