A Single-Cell RNA Map of Perinatal Developing Mouse Skin

The study "A single-cell RNA map of perinatal developing mouse skin" analyzed single-cell RNA sequencing data from mouse skin at various stages of development (embryonic days 13.5, 14.5, and 16.5 and postnatal days 0, 2, and 4). The researchers created a comprehensive single-cell map of gene expression in developing mouse skin, revealing a rapid change in the transcriptomic profile of skin cells from the fetal stage to the early postnatal period. They discovered that the expression of Dlk1, a marker for common fibroblast progenitor cells, may begin to exclusively mark lower embryonic fibroblast at an early stage of development. They also identified potential marker genes for different types of fibroblasts: Apela for upper embryonic fibroblasts and Agtr2 for lower fibroblasts. The study also revealed the dynamics of potential driver genes during the differentiation of dermal condensate and dermal papilla cells.