A single cell transcriptional roadmap of human pacemaker cell differentiation

Each heartbeat is triggered by the sinoatrial node (SAN), the primary pacemaker of the heart. Studies in animal models have revealed that pacemaker cells share a common progenitor with the (pro)epicardium, and that the pacemaker cardiomyocytes further diversify into ‘transitional’, ‘tail’, and ‘head...

Full description

Saved in:

Bibliographic Details
Published in:	eLife Vol. 11
Main Authors:	Wiesinger, Alexandra, Li, Jiuru, Fokkert, Lianne, Bakker, Priscilla, Verkerk, Arie O, Christoffels, Vincent M, Boink, Gerard JJ, Devalla, Harsha D
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	Cambridge eLife Science Publications, Ltd 11-10-2022 eLife Sciences Publications Ltd eLife Sciences Publications, Ltd
Subjects:	Analysis Animal models cardiac differentiation Cardiomyocytes Cell differentiation Cell therapy Developmental Biology Flow cytometry Gene expression Genetic aspects Genetic transcription Heart iPSC Ivabradine Mann-Whitney U test Molecular modelling Ontogeny pacemaker cell Pacemakers Pluripotency RNA sequencing scRNA-seq sinoatrial node Stem cell transplantation Stem cells Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine trajectory inference Transcription factors Transforming growth factors Wnt protein
Online Access:	Get full text
Tags:	Add Tag No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!

Description
Summary:	Each heartbeat is triggered by the sinoatrial node (SAN), the primary pacemaker of the heart. Studies in animal models have revealed that pacemaker cells share a common progenitor with the (pro)epicardium, and that the pacemaker cardiomyocytes further diversify into ‘transitional’, ‘tail’, and ‘head’ subtypes. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms, especially of human pacemaker cell development, are poorly understood. Here, we performed single cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) and trajectory inference on human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) differentiating to SAN-like cardiomyocytes (SANCMs) to construct a roadmap of transcriptional changes and lineage decisions. In differentiated SANCM, we identified distinct clusters that closely resemble different subpopulations of the in vivo SAN. Moreover, the presence of a side population of proepicardial cells suggested their shared ontogeny with SANCM, as also reported in vivo. Our results demonstrate that the divergence of SANCM and proepicardial lineages is determined by WNT signaling. Furthermore, we uncovered roles for TGFβ and WNT signaling in the branching of transitional and head SANCM subtypes, respectively. These findings provide new insights into the molecular processes involved in human pacemaker cell differentiation, opening new avenues for complex disease modeling in vitro and inform approaches for cell therapy-based regeneration of the SAN.
Bibliography:	ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23
ISSN:	2050-084X 2050-084X
DOI:	10.7554/eLife.76781