AUTHOR=Yuan Fei , Pan XiaoYong , Zeng Tao , Zhang Yu-Hang , Chen Lei , Gan Zijun , Huang Tao , Cai Yu-Dong TITLE=Identifying Cell-Type Specific Genes and Expression Rules Based on Single-Cell Transcriptomic Atlas Data JOURNAL=Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology VOLUME=8 YEAR=2020 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/bioengineering-and-biotechnology/articles/10.3389/fbioe.2020.00350 DOI=10.3389/fbioe.2020.00350 ISSN=2296-4185 ABSTRACT=

Single-cell sequencing technologies have emerged to address new and longstanding biological and biomedical questions. Previous studies focused on the analysis of bulk tissue samples composed of millions of cells. However, the genomes within the cells of an individual multicellular organism are not always the same. In this study, we aimed to identify the crucial and characteristically expressed genes that may play functional roles in tissue development and organogenesis, by analyzing a single-cell transcriptomic atlas of mice. We identified the most relevant gene features and decision rules classifying 18 cell categories, providing a list of genes that may perform important functions in the process of tissue development because of their tissue-specific expression patterns. These genes may serve as biomarkers to identify the origin of unknown cell subgroups so as to recognize specific cell stages/states during the dynamic process, and also be applied as potential therapy targets for developmental disorders.