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.