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Assessing heterogeneity among single embryos and single blastomeres using open microfluidic design.
Elisabet Rosàs-Canyelles1,2, Andrew J Modzelewski3, Alisha Geldert1,2
1Department of Bioengineering, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
Science Advances
|June 5, 2020
Summary
This study introduces a new microfluidic tool for analyzing single cells during early embryo development. It reveals insights into gene and protein expression heterogeneity in mouse embryos, improving research efficiency.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Biology
- Genomics
- Proteomics
Background:
- Early embryonic development from a single zygote is complex and poorly understood.
- Limitations in single-cell protein detection and multimodal data integration hinder research.
- Studying preimplantation embryo stages is critical for understanding developmental processes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce an open microfluidic tool for simultaneous phenotypic, protein, and mRNA profiling of single cells.
- To investigate cellular and molecular heterogeneity in murine preimplantation embryos.
- To overcome limitations in current single-cell analysis techniques.
Main Methods:
- Development and application of an open microfluidic device for same-cell analysis.
- Profiling of protein and mRNA expression in murine oocytes and blastomeres.
- Analysis of GADD45a and DICER-1 expression heterogeneity.
Main Results:
- No significant GADD45a protein heterogeneity was observed in two-cell stage murine embryos.
- Differences in DICER-1 mRNA and protein in oocytes became insignificant by the two-cell stage.
- Single-embryo analyses revealed intraembryonic heterogeneity and reduced the need for animal sacrifice.
Conclusions:
- The developed microfluidic tool enables comprehensive same-cell profiling of preimplantation embryos.
- The study provides novel insights into the heterogeneity of gene and protein expression during early development.
- This approach opens new avenues for studying developmental processes and improving research efficiency.
