Abstract

Taking Single Cell Expression Profiling to New Dimensions

Mikael Kubista, Professor/Founder, TATAA Biocenter AB

qPCR is developing into the most powerful platform to profile samples, extracting the biologically relevant information. A major breakthrough in recent years is the development of robust preamplification methods, which allow the profiling of large number of markers starting with minute sample amounts, including single cells. In the first part of my talk I will describe high throughput single cell profiling of astrocytes from mouse brains performed over time after induced trauma. The profiling reveals how the brain responds to the injury, activating the astrocytes to attempt repair. Expression of many genes, measured in large number of cells, over time is a so called multiway study, from which most valuable information about the molecular processes involved and expression pathways active can be extracted with powerful multivariate tools such as dynamic PCA available in the GenEx software. In the second part of my talk I will present single cell multianalyte profiling, showing how DNA, mRNA, microRNA, lncRNA, and protein can be measured in the same cell. I will also present qPCR tomography revealing intracellular mRNA profiles.