Single-cell RNA-seq of healthy equine skin
This study generated a high-quality single-cell RNA sequencing dataset of healthy equine skin to provide a reference of its cellular and transcriptional landscape. Skin biopsies were collected from the mane region of two clinically healthy horses in biological duplicate, preserved at 4 C, and dissociated into single-cell suspensions using both automated and manual protocols with the sCelLive Tissue Dissociation Kit (Skin). Cells were filtered, assessed for viability, and loaded onto the Singleron GEXSCOPE platform for single-cell capture and barcoding. Libraries were prepared following the GEXSCOPE Single Cell RNA Library Kit V2 protocol and sequenced on an Illumina NovaSeq X with paired-end 150 bp reads. Raw sequencing data were processed into FASTQ files and aligned to the EquCab3.0 reference genome using the CeleScope pipeline. This dataset provides a foundational resource for studies of equine skin biology, supporting comparisons with disease states and investigations of immune responses, tissue homeostasis, and dermatological conditions.