Systematic mapping of cell state trajectories, cell lineage, and perturbations in the zebrafish embryo using single cell transcriptomics. Systematic mapping of cell state trajectories, cell lineage, and perturbations in the zebrafish embryo using single cell transcriptomics

High-throughput mapping of cellular differentiation hierarchies from single-cell data promises to empower systematic interrogations of vertebrate development and disease. Here, we applied single-cell RNA sequencing to >92,000 cells from zebrafish embryos during the first day of development. Using a graph-based approach, we mapped a cell state landscape that describes axis patterning, germ layer formation, and organogenesis. We tested how clonally related cells traverse this landscape by developing a transposon-based barcoding approach (“TracerSeq”) for reconstructing single-cell lineage histories. Clonally related cells were often restricted by the state landscape, including a case in which two independent lineages converge on similar fates. Cell fates remained restricted to this landscape in chordin-deficient embryos. We provide web-based resources for further analysis of the single-cell data. Overall design: Single-cell mRNA sequencing of zebrafish embryonic cells. Samples1-7: Single cell libraries from untreated embryos (4-24 hours post-fertilization). Samples8-12: Single cell libraries from embryos injected with TracerSeq lineage cassette at the 1-cell stage. Samples13-18: Single cell libraries from embryos injected with sgRNA + Cas9 at the 1-cell stage.