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.