Cited by 7,055Single-cell and spatial transcriptomicsGene expression and cancer classificationGene Regulatory Network Analysis

Spatial reconstruction of single-cell gene expression data

Open access
Satija, Rahul, Farrell, Jeffrey A, Gennert, David, Schier, Alexander F, Regev, Aviv·2015·Nature Biotechnology

Abstract

Spatial localization is a key determinant of cellular fate and behavior, but methods for spatially resolved, transcriptome-wide gene expression profiling across complex tissues are lacking. RNA staining methods assay only a small number of transcripts, whereas single-cell RNA-seq, which measures global gene expression, separates cells from their native spatial context. Here we present Seurat, a computational strategy to infer cellular localization by integrating single-cell RNA-seq data with in situ RNA patterns. We applied Seurat to spatially map 851 single cells from dissociated zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryos and generated a transcriptome-wide map of spatial patterning. We confirmed Seurat's accuracy using several experimental approaches, then used the strategy to identify a set of archetypal expression patterns and spatial markers. Seurat correctly localizes rare subpopulations, accurately mapping both spatially restricted and scattered groups. Seurat will be applicable to mapping cellular localization within complex patterned tissues in diverse systems.

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Crossref · 10.1038/nbt.3192

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  • Among other cell type-specific local eQTLs are CD52 only in monocyte populations and DIP2A only in NK cells associated with immune response to vaccination.

    “Among other cell type-specific local eQTLs are CD52, a gene ubiquitously expressed in leukocytes that only has eQTLs in monocyte populations, and DIP2A, a gene with an eQTL only in NK cells that is associated with immune response to vaccination in peripheral blood35.”

    From Multiplexed droplet single-cell RNA-sequencing using natural genetic variation (2018) · cites this paper as [35]

    The Results section on dispersed cell populations discusses gene expression in zebrafish embryos, not cell type-specific eQTLs in human immune cells. Searches for CD52, DIP2A, monocytes, NK cells, and vaccination found no passage in our copy addressing the claim. (LLM, conf=0.78)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • Batch effects were corrected using FindIntegrationAnchor() and IntegrateData() in the reciprocal PCA approach of the Seurat workflow.

    “Batch effects were corrected with the FindIntegrationAnchor() and the IntegrateData() function in the reciprocal PCA approach of the Seurat workflow.”

    From TBX3 is dynamically expressed in pancreatic organogenesis and fine-tunes regeneration (2023) · cites this paper as [76]

    The Online Methods section on principal components analysis describes PCA using R’s prcomp function, not reciprocal PCA integration. Searches for FindIntegrationAnchor, IntegrateData, and batch-effect correction found no passage in our copy addressing the claimed workflow. Page numbers were not available in the indexed passages. (LLM, conf=0.76)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • ANOVA-based methods for differential expression between groups of cells can only detect variations captured by differences between discrete groups.

    “Critically, such methods can only detect variations that are captured by differences between discrete groups.”

    From SpatialDE: identification of spatially variable genes (2018) · cites this paper as [3]

    The Online Methods section on embryonic subpopulations describes a likelihood-ratio test for differential expression, not ANOVA. Searches for “ANOVA” and for the claimed limitation on detecting variation between discrete groups found no passage in our copy that addresses that limitation; no page numbers are available. (LLM, conf=0.76)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • Factors defining cell identity may be discrete categories, continuous spectra, or combinations of discrete and continuous categories.

    “These factors may not only be the discrete categories that are often assumed when classifying cells into major types4,30,94 but may also represent a continuous spectrum1, or a combination of discrete and continuous categories36,95–97,227.”
  • True biological hybrid cells may be observed even when a cell population partitions into discrete types.

    “even when a cell population partitions into discrete types, hybrid cells—single cells that are a mix of two or more types—may be observed95,97”

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Authors
Satija, R., Farrell, J. A., Gennert, D., Schier, A. F., & Regev, A.
Affiliations
  • Broad Institute (US)
  • Harvard University (US)
Corresponding author
  • Schier, Alexander F
  • Regev, Aviv
Venue
Nature Biotechnology
Published
2015-04-13
Volume
33
Issue
5
Pages
495-502
ISSN
  • 0733-222X (ISSN-L)
  • 1087-0156
  • 1546-1696
OpenAlex
W2069089843
Cited by
7,055
References
50
Citations by year
2026: 931 · 2025: 1220 · 2024: 1142 · 2023: 987 · 2022: 784 · 2021: 640 · 2020: 510 · 2019: 341 · 2018: 278 · 2017: 126 · 2016: 64 · 2015: 27 · 2014: 1 · 2013: 1 · 2012: 2
FWCI
71.65
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Nature Biotechnology (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
  • Digital Access to Scholarship at Harvard (DASH) (Harvard University) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • edoc (University of Basel) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • Howard Hughes Medical Institute
  • Jane Coffin Childs Memorial Fund for Medical Research
  • National Institutes of Health
  • Klarman Cell Observatory, Broad Institute
  • National Institute of Mental Health (U01MH105960)
  • National Human Genome Research Institute (P50HG006193)
  • National Institute of General Medical Sciences (R01GM056211)
  • Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (F32HD075541)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Single-cell and spatial transcriptomics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Gene expression and cancer classification
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Gene Regulatory Network Analysis
Keywords
spatial reconstruction, single-cell RNA sequencing, subcellular localization, spatial transcriptomics, zebrafish embryos, spatial patterning, spatial markers, Seurat
MeSH terms
Animals, Image Processing, Computer-Assisted, Zebrafish, In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence, Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental, Single-Cell Analysis, High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing, Transcriptome

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