Single-cell transcriptome conservation in cryopreserved cells and tissues

Guillaumet-Adkins, Amy; Rodríguez Esteban, Gustavo; Mereu, Elisabetta; Méndez Lago, María; Jaitin, Diego Adhemar; Villanueva, Alberto; Vidal, August; Martínez Martí, Alex; Felip, Enriqueta; Vivancos Prellezo, Ana; Keren-Shaul, Hadas; Heath, Simon; Gut, Marta; Amit, Ido; Gut, Ivo Glynne; Heyn, Holger

doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s13059-017-1171-9

Single-cell transcriptome conservation in cryopreserved cells and tissues

Citation

Guillaumet-Adkins A, Rodríguez-Esteban G, Mereu E, Mendez-Lago M, Jaitin DA, Villanueva A et al. Single-cell transcriptome conservation in cryopreserved cells and tissues. Genome Biol. 2017 Mar 1;18(1):45. DOI: 10.1186/s13059-017-1171-9

Abstract

A variety of single-cell RNA preparation procedures have been described. So far, protocols require fresh material, which hinders complex study designs. We describe a sample preservation method that maintains transcripts in viable single cells, allowing one to disconnect time and place of sampling from subsequent processing steps. We sequence single-cell transcriptomes from >1000 fresh and cryopreserved cells using 3'-end and full-length RNA preparation methods. Our results confirm that the conservation process did not alter transcriptional profiles. This substantially broadens the scope of applications in single-cell transcriptomics and could lead to a paradigm shift in future study designs.