Single cell RNA-sequencing of E11.5 C57BL/6J mouse fusing upper lip and primary palate

Wild-type C57BL/6J embryos were isolated at E11.5 and staged between 45-46 somites. The face was isolated from the head using published procedures. Subsequently, the region of the upper face where the nasal and maxillary prominences are juxtaposed was microdissected out using forceps so that the region containing the lambdoid junction, the nasolacrimal groove, and the nasal fin were obtained. This tissue contained ectoderm and mesenchyme, as well as cells associated with blood vessels. Following dispersion into single cells by enzymatic and mechanical methods, cells were processed and RNA sequenced using the 10X Genomics platform. Approximately 8000 cells were sequenced to a depth of 100,000 reads per cell.