Development of the chicken lateral plate mesoderm and forelimb mesenchyme

The lateral plate mesoderm (LPM) is a transient tissue that produces a diverse range of differentiated structures, including the limbs. However, the molecular mechanisms that drive early LPM specification and development are poorly understood. In this study, we utilize single-cell transcriptomics to define the cell-fate decisions directing LPM specification, subdivision, and early initiation of the forelimb mesenchyme in chicken embryos. We establish a transcriptional atlas and global cell-cell signalling interactions in progenitor, transitional and mature cell types throughout the developing forelimb field. This dataset contains single cells from developing chicken forelimb field tissues covering embryonic days 1.5, 2.5 and 3.5 or stages HH10, HH14 and HH18 respectively. Cells were isolated and barcoded using the 10x Chromium platform