Single-cell RNAseq of whole mouse E8.25 embryos

Gastrulation represents a pivotal point in mammalian development, when the basic body plan is established and cells are specified into one of the three germ layers. This is followed by rapid diversification into specific lineages and the appearance of the various cell types required to build each of the organs. The rich variety of cell types present at this stage has never been rigorously characterised in any mammalian organism, and thus insight into cell fate decisions and the underlying regulatory networks have been inaccessible. We have used droplet based single-cell RNA-sequencing to address this by profiling ~7000 cells from three E8.25 mouse embryos.原肠胚形成（gastrulation）是哺乳动物发育进程中的关键转折点，此时机体确立基本躯体构型，细胞定向特化为三个胚层中的一类。紧随其后的是细胞快速分化为特定谱系，并涌现出构建各器官所需的各类细胞类型。该阶段存在丰富多样的细胞类型，但此前从未在任何哺乳动物体内得到严谨的特征化分析，因此学界难以深入洞悉细胞命运决定机制及其背后的调控网络。本研究采用基于液滴的单细胞RNA测序（single-cell RNA-sequencing）技术，对3个E8.25阶段小鼠胚胎的约7000个细胞进行转录组分析，以此解决这一研究局限。