Single cell sequencing analysis of control, photon- and proton- irradiated salivary gland organoids at day 11

The specific impact of different radiation types, such as photons and protons, and their effects on normal stem cell activity and tissue regeneration are unknown. In this study, we used a scRNA-seq approach to characterize our mouse salivary gland organoid model and to assess the effects of photon and proton irradiation on salivry gland stem/progenitor cells. Overall design: Mouse salivary gland organoids derived from 4 different animals were irradiated at day 5 with either 7 Gy photons or 7 Gy protons (plateau). Non-irradiated (control), photon- and proton-irradiated organoids were collected at day 11 (6 days after irradiation) and pooled before the sequencing run. After trypsinization, propidium iodide (PI) was used to isolate live cells (PI negative) by flowrescence-activated cell sorting (FACS). Cells were then analysed using scRNA-seq.