Dissecting spinal cord ependymal cell heterogeneity by single-cell transcriptomics

Cel

Cells with stem cell potential, this is with the ability to self-renew and generate specialised progeny, exist in the adult mammalian spinal cord. Previous studies localised this potential within the ependymal cell (EC) population. However, ECs are rather heterogeneous based on their morphological features and the expression of a handful of neural stem cell markers. In this interdisciplinary research proposal, I aim to uncover the cellular and molecular heterogeneity of ECs at the level of individual cells. I propose to take advantage of cutting-edge single-cell RNA-sequencing technology to obtain the transcriptomes of individual ECs from the spinal cord of adult mice. Using advanced computational methods, I will establish EC types and states and use pseudotemporal ordering to elucidate potential lineage relationships among ECs. I will then validate these findings in the tissue context, using high-resolution confocal microscopy. This first comprehensive characterisation of spinal cord ECs will provide novel and fundamental insights into how ECs possess and maintain their unique self-renewing properties. In the future, this will facilitate realisation of the potential of spinal cord stem cells for therapeutic purposes.