Single-cell analysis reveals the progress in skin repair after radiation in rats.

This study aims to compare the cell heterogeneity and mRNA expression between irradiated and non-irradiated rat skin tissues at the single cell level. In this study, the skin was isolated from rats with radiation or non-irradiated rats. Male Sprague Dawley (SD) rats (6 weeks of age) were used. For irradiation, the hair on the gluteal region of the rats was shaved using a razor. The animals were immobilized using adhesive tape on a plastic plate to minimize motion during radiation exposure. A 3-cm-thick piece of lead was used to shield the animals and localize the radiation field (3-4 cm). Irradiation was performed on the treatment area at a dose rate of 1000 cGy/min using a 6-MeV electron beam accelerator. Irradiated skin was taken on day 7, 14, 28 and 60 for RNA-seq, respectively. The control group of skin were collected from four rats without radiation and mixed for RNA-seq.本研究旨在在单细胞水平上比较辐照与未辐照大鼠皮肤组织的细胞异质性及mRNA表达谱。本研究中，皮肤组织分别取自辐照组与未辐照雄性大鼠。实验选用6周龄的雄性斯普拉格-道利（Sprague Dawley, SD）大鼠。辐照前，使用剃刀刮除大鼠臀区毛发；随后将大鼠以胶带固定于塑料板上，以最大限度减少辐照过程中的机体位移。采用3cm厚的铅块对实验动物进行屏蔽，并将辐射野限定为3~4cm。使用6-MeV电子束加速器，以1000 cGy/min的剂量率对处理区域实施辐照。分别于辐照后第7、14、28及60天采集辐照皮肤组织，用于RNA测序（RNA-seq）。对照组皮肤组织取自4只未接受辐照的大鼠，将其皮肤组织混合后进行RNA测序。