Single cell RNA-sequencing and RNA-tomography of the avian embryo extending body axis.

Vertebrate body axis formation initiates during gastrulation and continues within the tail bud at the posterior end of the embryo. Major structures in the trunk are paired somites, which generate the musculoskeletal system, the spinal cord-forming part of the central nervous system, and the notochord, with important patterning functions. The specification of these different cell lineages by key signalling pathways and transcription factors is essential, however, a global map of cell types and expressed genes in the avian trunk is missing.

Deep sequencing of Phox2a nuclei reveals five classes of anterolateral system neurons.

The anterolateral system (ALS) is a major ascending pathway from the spinal cord that projects to multiple brain areas and underlies the perception of pain, itch, and skin temperature. Despite its importance, our understanding of this system has been hampered by the considerable functional and molecular diversity of its constituent cells. Here, we use fluorescence-activated cell sorting to isolate ALS neurons belonging to the Phox2a-lineage for single-nucleus RNA sequencing.

Single-cell nanobiopsy enables multigenerational longitudinal transcriptomics of cancer cells.

Single-cell RNA sequencing has revolutionized our understanding of cellular heterogeneity, but routine methods require cell lysis and fail to probe the dynamic trajectories responsible for cellular state transitions, which can only be inferred. Here, we present a nanobiopsy platform that enables the injection of exogenous molecules and multigenerational longitudinal cytoplasmic sampling from a single cell and its progeny. The technique is based on scanning ion conductance microscopy (SICM) and, as a proof of concept, was applied to longitudinally profile the transcriptome of single glioblastoma (GBM) brain tumor cells in vitro over 72 hours.

Automated Purification of DNA Origami with SPRI Beads.

DNA origami synthesis is a well-established technique with wide-ranging applications. In most cases, the synthesized origami must be purified to remove excess materials such as DNA oligos and other functional molecules. While several purification techniques are routinely used, all have limitations, and cannot be integrated with robotic systems.