Cellular function is strongly dependent on surrounding cells and environmental factors. Current technologies are limited in characterizing the spatial location and unique gene-programs of cells in less structured and dynamic niches. Here we developed a method (NICHE-seq) that combines photoactivatable fluorescent reporters, two-photon microscopy and single-cell RNA-seq to infer the cellular and molecular composition of niches. We applied NICHE-seq to examine the high-order assembly of immune cell networks. NICHE-seq is highly reproducible in spatial tissue reconstruction, enabling identification of rare niche-specific immune subpopulations and unique gene-programs, including natural killer cells within infected B cell follicles and distinct myeloid states in the marginal zone. This study establishes NICHE-seq as a broadly applicable method for elucidating high-order spatial organization of cell types and their molecular pathways. SOURCE: Ido Amit (ido.amit@weizmann.ac.il) -  Weizmann Institute of Science

Pluto Bioinformatics

GSE104054: Spatial reconstruction of immune niches by combining photoactivatable reporter and single-cell RNA-seq