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Published on: October 15, 2014
Single-cell analysis for BDNF and TrkB receptors in cardiac microvascular endothelial cells
Xinlei Bai1, Chen Yilin1, Xufeng Qi1
1Key Laboratory for Regenerative Medicine, Ministry of Education, Ji Nan University, Guangzhou 510632, China Joint Laboratory for Regenerative Medicine, Chinese University of Hong Kong-Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China International Base of Collaboration for Science and Technology (JNU), The Ministry of Science and Technology & Guangdong Province, Guangzhou 510632, China Department of Developmental & Regenerative Biology, Ji Nan University Guangzhou 510632, China.
Abstract:
Recent studies revealed that BDNF-TrkB pathway plays an important role in cardiac microvascular endothelial cells (CMECs) mediated myocardial angiogenesis. Single-cell analysis is a powerful tool for studying gene expression in individuals since cellular heterogeneity and dynamic microenvironments which individual cell will experience. Little is currently known about the expression of BDNF and TrkB receptors at the single CMEC level. Our single-cell analysis of seven randomly selected CMECs for BDNF and TrkB receptors (FL, T1, T2) showed that under an in vitro culture environment, BDNF was expressed in two of the seven selected CMECs. None of the single CMEC expressed TrkB-FL. TrkB-T1 was expressed in all seven selected CMECs, while, TrkB-T2 was expressed in three of these. In addition, none of single CMEC was found to express both BDNF and three TrkB receptors or BDNF and TrkB-FL simultaneously. These results suggest that a stochastic or random expression pattern for BDNF and their receptors might be set in each of the CMEC to response requirement of the time and spatial change, regulation or pathophysiological change.
