Single Cell RNA-Sequencing of Human Limb Skeletal Muscle across Development and Myogenic Culture from Pluripotent Stem Cells

The developmental trajectory of human skeletal myogenesis and the transition between progenitor and stem cell states are unclear. To address this, we employed single cell RNA-sequencing to profile human skeletal muscle tissues from embryonic, fetal and postnatal stages. In silico, we identified myogenic as well as other cell types and constructed a “roadmap” of human skeletal muscle ontogeny across development. In a similar fashion, we also profiled the heterogeneous cell cultures generated from multiple human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC) myogenic differentiation protocols, and mapped hPSC-derived myogenic progenitors to an embryonic-to-fetal transition period. Additionally, we found differentially enriched biological processes and discovered co-regulated gene networks and transcription factors present at distinct myogenic stages. In summary, this work serves as a resource for advancing our knowledge of human myogenesis. It also provides a tool for better characterization and understanding of hPSC-derived myogenic progenitors for translational applications in skeletal muscle based regenerative medicine.