gene expression profile of entire adult mouse invtervertebral disc

The intervertebral disc is a specialized fibrocartilage structure of the spinal column that is pivotal for spinal mobility and function. It is composed of 3 distinct anatomical components: the annulus fibrosus, nulceus pulposus and cartilage endplates. We used 10x single cell seq to identify the various cell components of the disc as well as discover novel cell populations and signaling networks. A lumbar disc was dissected from a young adult mouse (8 weeks old) and digested via collagenase. Cells were then counted (10k) and dead cells removed via Trypan blue staining and counting.椎间盘（intervertebral disc）是脊柱特化的纤维软骨结构，对脊柱活动度与生理功能具有关键作用。其由三个独立的解剖组分构成：纤维环（annulus fibrosus）、髓核（nucleus pulposus）与软骨终板（cartilage endplates）。本研究采用10x单细胞测序技术，对椎间盘的各类细胞组分进行鉴定，同时挖掘全新的细胞类群与信号通路网络。实验取材自一只8周龄成年小鼠的腰椎间盘，通过胶原酶对组织进行消化。随后对细胞进行计数（约10,000个），并通过台盼蓝（Trypan blue）染色计数法去除死细胞。