GSE192498
Single-cell resolution of MET- and EMT-like programs in osteoblasts during zebrafish fin regeneration
We performed single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) to elucidate osteoblastic transcriptional programs during zebrafish caudal fin regeneration. We show that osteoprogenitors are enriched with components associated with epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and its reverse, mesenchymal-to-epithelial transition (MET). Trajectory analyses indicate osteoblastic cells solely expressed EMT components, or transiently expressed components for MET before EMT. We provide evidence that the EMT markers cdh11 and twist2 are co-expressed in dedifferentiating cells at the amputation stump, and in differentiating osteoblastic cells in the regenerate, the latter of which are enriched in EMT signatures. We also show that esrp1, a regulator of alternative splicing in epithelial cells that is associated with MET, is expressed in a subset of osteoprogenitors during outgrowth. This study provides a single cell resource for the study of osteoblastic cells during zebrafish fin regeneration, and supports the contribution of MET- and EMT-associated components to this process. Overall design: Single-cell RNA profiling of regenerating zebrafish caudal fin tissue at multiple timepoints using sci-RNA-seq3