Plant Diversity ›› 2024, Vol. 46 ›› Issue (03): 372-385.DOI: 10.1016/j.pld.2024.03.008

• Articles • Previous Articles    

Comprehensive integration of single-cell transcriptomic data illuminates the regulatory network architecture of plant cell fate specification

Shanni Caoa, Xue Zhaoa, Zhuojin Lia, Ranran Yua, Yuqi Lib, Xinkai Zhoua, Wenhao Yanb, Dijun Chena, Chao Heb   

  1. a. State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China;
    b. National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
  • Received:2024-03-27 Revised:2024-03-29 Published:2024-05-20
  • Contact: Xue Zhao,E-mail:zhaoxue@nju.edu.cn;Wenhao Yan,E-mail:yanwenhao@mail.hzau.edu.cn;Dijun Chen,E-mail:dijunchen@nju.edu.cn;Chao He,E-mail:hechao@mail.hzau.edu.cn
  • Supported by:
    This work is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 32070656), the Nanjing University Deng Feng Scholars Program and the Priority Academic Program Development (PAPD) of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions, China Postdoctoral Science Foundation funded project (No. 2022M711563) and Jiangsu Funding Program for Excellent Postdoctoral Talent (No. 2022ZB50).

Abstract: Plant morphogenesis relies on precise gene expression programs at the proper time and position which is orchestrated by transcription factors (TFs) in intricate regulatory networks in a cell-type specific manner. Here we introduced a comprehensive single-cell transcriptomic atlas of Arabidopsis seedlings. This atlas is the result of meticulous integration of 63 previously published scRNA-seq datasets, addressing batch effects and conserving biological variance. This integration spans a broad spectrum of tissues, including both below- and above-ground parts. Utilizing a rigorous approach for cell type annotation, we identified 47 distinct cell types or states, largely expanding our current view of plant cell compositions. We systematically constructed cell-type specific gene regulatory networks and uncovered key regulators that act in a coordinated manner to control cell-type specific gene expression. Taken together, our study not only offers extensive plant cell atlas exploration that serves as a valuable resource, but also provides molecular insights into gene-regulatory programs that varies from different cell types.

Key words: Arabidopsis, Single cell transcriptome, Gene regulatory network, Data integration, Plant cell atlas