Dissecting the transcriptome landscape of the human fetal neural retina and retinal pigment epithelium by single-cell RNA-seq analysis.
Yuqiong Hu, Xiaoye Wang, Boqiang Hu, Yunuo Mao, Yidong Chen, Liying Yan, Jun Yong, Ji Dong, Yuan Wei, Wei Wang, Lu Wen, Jie Qiao, Fuchou Tang
Author Information
Yuqiong Hu: Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Genomics, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Third Hospital, College of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China.
Xiaoye Wang: Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Genomics, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Third Hospital, College of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China.
Boqiang Hu: Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Genomics, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Third Hospital, College of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China.
Yunuo Mao: Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Genomics, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Third Hospital, College of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China.
Yidong Chen: Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Genomics, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Third Hospital, College of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China.
Liying Yan: Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Genomics, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Third Hospital, College of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China.
Jun Yong: Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Genomics, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Third Hospital, College of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China.
Ji Dong: Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Genomics, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Third Hospital, College of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China.
Yuan Wei: Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Genomics, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Third Hospital, College of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China.
Wei Wang: Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Genomics, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Third Hospital, College of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China.
Lu Wen: Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Genomics, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Third Hospital, College of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China.
Jie Qiao: Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Genomics, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Third Hospital, College of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China.
Fuchou Tang: Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Genomics, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Third Hospital, College of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China. ORCID
The developmental pathway of the neural retina (NR) and retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) has been revealed by extensive research in mice. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the development of the human NR and RPE, as well as the interactions between these two tissues, have not been well defined. Here, we analyzed 2,421 individual cells from human fetal NR and RPE using single-cell RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) technique and revealed the tightly regulated spatiotemporal gene expression network of human retinal cells. We identified major cell classes of human fetal retina and potential crucial transcription factors for each cell class. We dissected the dynamic expression patterns of visual cycle- and ligand-receptor interaction-related genes in the RPE and NR. Moreover, we provided a map of disease-related genes for human fetal retinal cells and highlighted the importance of retinal progenitor cells as potential targets of inherited retinal diseases. Our findings captured the key in vivo features of the development of the human NR and RPE and offered insightful clues for further functional studies.
