RNA-seq of medullary thymic epithelial cell (mTEC) subsets in inducible Aire-lineage tracing mice. RNA-seq of medullary thymic epithelial cell (mTEC) subsets in inducible Aire-lineage tracing mice

The goal of the study was to sequence mRNA expression from sorted medullary thymic epithelial cell (mTEC) subsets in inducible Aire-CreERT2.R26-Stopfl-tdTomato lineage tracing mice after a pulse chase. Four cell subsets were sorted 7 days after a single 2mg pulse of tamoxifen administered by oral gavage. 4 biological replicates (1,2,3,4) were collected derived from 12 pooled thymi per replicate. From the DAPI-;CD45-;EpCAM+ TEC pool, cells were sorted as: pre-Aire (MHCIIlo;RFP-), early-Aire (MHCIIhi;RFP-), late-Aire (MHCIIhi;RFP+), and post-Aire (MHCIIlo;RFP+). The data were used to identify differentially expressed genes across the four mTEC subsets to examine mTEC heterogeneity and identify novel mTEC subpopulations. Overall design: Four biological replicates (12 pooled thymi per replicate) of each of four mTEC subsets were sorted from Aire-lineage tracing mice 7 days after pulse-chase with tamoxifen.