title: Clonal Analysis of Cells with Cellular Barcoding: When Numbers and Sizes Matter.
abstract: Cellular barcoding is a recently rediscovered tool to trace the clonal output of individual cells with genetically distinct and heritable DNA sequences. Each year a few dozens of papers are published using the cellular barcoding technique. Those publications largely focus on mutually related issues, namely: counting cells capable of clonal proliferation and expansion, monitoring clonal dynamics in time, tracing the origin of differentiated cells, characterizing the differentiation potential of stem cells and similar topics. Apart from their biological content, claims and conclusions, these studies show remarkable diversity in technical aspects of the barcoding method and sometimes in major conclusions. Although a diversity of approaches is quite usual in data analysis, deviant handling of barcode data might directly affect experimental results and their biological interpretation. Here, we will describe typical challenges and caveats in cellular barcoding publications available so far.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Ageing Biology and Stem Cells, European Research Institute for the Biology of Ageing, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Antonius Deusinglaan 1, Building 3226, Groningen, 9713, AV, The Netherlands. l.bystrykh@umcg.nl.
authors.forename: Leonid V
authors.initials: LV
authors.lastname: Bystrykh
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Ageing Biology and Stem Cells, European Research Institute for the Biology of Ageing, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Antonius Deusinglaan 1, Building 3226, Groningen, 9713, AV, The Netherlands.|Department of Pediatrics, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Mirjam E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Belderbos
mesh_terms: D002454:Cell Differentiation; D048429:Cell Size; D058948:Cell Tracking / Q000379:methods*; D002478:Cells, Cultured / Q000166:cytology*; D058893:DNA Barcoding, Taxonomic / Q000379:methods*; D059014:High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology*
keywords: Barcode; Barcode clonal analysis; Clone; Hematopoiesis; Sequencing; Stem cells