Single cell transcriptional analysis of chemically induced hepatocyte-like cells from mouse fibroblasts [scRNA-seq]

Here, we chemically induced hepatocyte-like cells (CiHeps) from mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) using a new protocol. To illustrate the transcriptomic landscape of hepatocyte cell formation by chemical induction, scRNA-seq was performed in C6F5UE-C6F(L)V-induced MEFs at 60 days of induction. The analysis of scRNA-seq data revealed that gastrointestinal-like and keratinocyte-like cells were induced along with CiHeps and these induced epithelial cells closely resembled that of their primary counterparts. scRNA-seq was performed in C6F5UE-C6F(L)V-induced MEFs at 60 days of induction. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between different samples or consecutive clusters were identified with the FindMarkers function. Monocle (https://github.com/cole-trapnell-lab/, R package,v.2.20.0) was then employed for ordering cells based on progress through differentiation stages (pseudo-time), SCENIC (Single Cell Regulatory Network Inference and Clustering) was employed to define gene regulatory networks (GRN) in chemically induced cells, and Cellchat was used to analyze potential cell-cell communication