José Fernández Navarro

Visualization and analysis of gene expression in tissue sections by spatial transcriptomics

Spatial structure of RNA expression RNA-seq and similar methods can record gene expression within and among cells. Current methods typically lose positional information and many require arduous single-cell isolation and sequencing. Ståhl et al. have developed a way of measuring the spatial distribution of transcripts by annealing fixed brain or cancer tissue samples directly to bar-coded reverse transcriptase primers, performing reverse transcription followed by sequencing and computational reconstruction, and they can do so for multiple genes. Science, this issue p. 78 A new technique allows visualization and quantitative analysis of the spatially resolved transcriptome across individual tissue sections. Analysis of the pattern of proteins or messengerRNAs (mRNAs) in histological tissue sections is a cornerstone in biomedical research and diagnostics. This typically involves the visualization of a few proteins or expressed genes at a time. We have devised a strategy, which we call “spatial transcriptomics,” that allows visualization and quantitative analysis of the transcriptome with spatial resolution in individual tissue sections. By positioning histological sections on arrayed reverse transcription primers with unique positional barcodes, we demonstrate high-quality RNA-sequencing data with maintained two-dimensional positional information from the mouse brain and human breast cancer. Spatial transcriptomics provides quantitative gene expression data and visualization of the distribution of mRNAs within tissue sections and enables novel types of bioinformatics analyses, valuable in research and diagnostics.

Fast and Accurate Database Searches with MS-GF+Percolator

One can interpret fragmentation spectra stemming from peptides in mass-spectrometry-based proteomics experiments using so-called database search engines. Frequently, one also runs post-processors such as Percolator to assess the confidence, infer unique peptides, and increase the number of identifications. A recent search engine, MS-GF+, has shown promising results, due to a new and efficient scoring algorithm. However, MS-GF+ provides few statistical estimates about the peptide-spectrum matches, hence limiting the biological interpretation. Here, we enabled Percolator processing for MS-GF+ output and observed an increased number of identified peptides for a wide variety of data sets. In addition, Percolator directly reports p values and false discovery rate estimates, such as q values and posterior error probabilities, for peptide-spectrum matches, peptides, and proteins, functions that are useful for the whole proteomics community.

Determining the calibration of confidence estimation procedures for unique peptides in shotgun proteomics

The analysis of a shotgun proteomics experiment results in a list of peptide-spectrum matches (PSMs) in which each fragmentation spectrum has been matched to a peptide in a database. Subsequently, most protein inference algorithms rank peptides according to the best-scoring PSM for each peptide. However, there is disagreement in the scientific literature on the best method to assess the statistical significance of the resulting peptide identifications. Here, we use a previously described calibration protocol to evaluate the accuracy of three different peptide-level statistical confidence estimation procedures: the classical Fishers method, and two complementary procedures that estimate significance, respectively, before and after selecting the top-scoring PSM for each spectrum. Our experiments show that the latter method, which is employed by MaxQuant and Percolator, produces the most accurate, well-calibrated results.

Massive and parallel expression profiling using microarrayed single-cell sequencing

Single-cell transcriptome analysis overcomes problems inherently associated with averaging gene expression measurements in bulk analysis. However, single-cell analysis is currently challenging in terms of cost, throughput and robustness. Here, we present a method enabling massive microarray-based barcoding of expression patterns in single cells, termed MASC-seq. This technology enables both imaging and high-throughput single-cell analysis, characterizing thousands of single-cell transcriptomes per day at a low cost (0.13 USD/cell), which is two orders of magnitude less than commercially available systems. Our novel approach provides data in a rapid and simple way. Therefore, MASC-seq has the potential to accelerate the study of subtle clonal dynamics and help provide critical insights into disease development and other biological processes.

Spatially resolved transcriptome profiling in model plant species

Understanding complex biological systems requires functional characterization of specialized tissue domains. However, existing strategies for generating and analysing high-throughput spatial expression profiles were developed for a limited range of organisms, primarily mammals. Here we present the first available approach to generate and study high-resolution, spatially resolved functional profiles in a broad range of model plant systems. Our process includes high-throughput spatial transcriptome profiling followed by spatial gene and pathway analyses. We first demonstrate the feasibility of the technique by generating spatial transcriptome profiles from model angiosperms and gymnosperms microsections. In Arabidopsis thaliana we use the spatial data to identify differences in expression levels of 141 genes and 189 pathways in eight inflorescence tissue domains. Our combined approach of spatial transcriptomics and functional profiling offers a powerful new strategy that can be applied to a broad range of plant species, and is an approach that will be pivotal to answering fundamental questions in developmental and evolutionary biology.

An automated approach to prepare tissue-derived spatially barcoded RNA-sequencing libraries.

Sequencing the nucleic acid content of individual cells or specific biological samples is becoming increasingly common. This drives the need for robust, scalable and automated library preparation protocols. Furthermore, an increased understanding of tissue heterogeneity has lead to the development of several unique sequencing protocols that aim to retain or infer spatial context. In this study, a protocol for retaining spatial information of transcripts has been adapted to run on a robotic workstation. The method spatial transcriptomics is evaluated in terms of robustness and variability through the preparation of reference RNA, as well as through preparation and sequencing of six replicate sections of a gingival tissue biopsy from a patient with periodontitis. The results are reduced technical variability between replicates and a higher throughput, processing four times more samples with less than a third of the hands on time, compared to the standard protocol.

ST Spot Detector: a web-based application for automatic spot and tissue detection for spatial Transcriptomics image datasets

Motiviation Spatial Transcriptomics (ST) is a method which combines high resolution tissue imaging with high troughput transcriptome sequencing data. This data must be aligned with the images for correct visualization, a process that involves several manual steps. Results Here we present ST Spot Detector, a web tool that automates and facilitates this alignment through a user friendly interface. Contact jose.fernandez.navarro@scilifelab.se. Supplementary information Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

Spatial detection of fetal marker genes expressed at low level in adult human heart tissue

Heart failure is a major health problem linked to poor quality of life and high mortality rates. Hence, novel biomarkers, such as fetal marker genes with low expression levels, could potentially differentiate disease states in order to improve therapy. In many studies on heart failure, cardiac biopsies have been analyzed as uniform pieces of tissue with bulk techniques, but this homogenization approach can mask medically relevant phenotypes occurring only in isolated parts of the tissue. This study examines such spatial variations within and between regions of cardiac biopsies. In contrast to standard RNA sequencing, this approach provides a spatially resolved transcriptome- and tissue-wide perspective of the adult human heart, and enables detection of fetal marker genes expressed by minor subpopulations of cells within the tissue. Analysis of patients with heart failure, with preserved ejection fraction, demonstrated spatially divergent expression of fetal genes in cardiac biopsies.

Barcoded solid-phase RNA capture for Spatial Transcriptomics profiling in mammalian tissue sections

Spatial resolution of gene expression enables gene expression events to be pinpointed to a specific location in biological tissue. Spatially resolved gene expression in tissue sections is traditionally analyzed using immunohistochemistry (IHC) or in situ hybridization (ISH). These technologies are invaluable tools for pathologists and molecular biologists; however, their throughput is limited to the analysis of only a few genes at a time. Recent advances in RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) have made it possible to obtain unbiased high-throughput gene expression data in bulk. Spatial Transcriptomics combines the benefits of traditional spatially resolved technologies with the massive throughput of RNA-seq. Here, we present a protocol describing how to apply the Spatial Transcriptomics technology to mammalian tissue. This protocol combines histological staining and spatially resolved RNA-seq data from intact tissue sections. Once suitable tissue-specific conditions have been established, library construction and sequencing can be completed in ~5–6 d. Data processing takes a few hours, with the exact timing dependent on the sequencing depth. Our method requires no special instruments and can be performed in any laboratory with access to a cryostat, microscope and next-generation sequencing.Spatial Transcriptomics combines histological staining and spatially resolved RNA-sequencing data from tissue sections. This protocol describes how to implement this method with mammalian tissue.

Charting Tissue Expression Anatomy by Spatial Transcriptome Deconvolution

We create data-driven maps of transcriptomic anatomy with a probabilistic framework for unsupervised pattern discovery in spatial gene expression data. Convolved negative binomial regression is used to find patterns which correspond to cell types, microenvironments, or tissue components, and that consist of gene expression profiles and spatial activity maps. Expression profiles quantify how strongly each gene is expressed in a given pattern, and spatial activity maps reflect where in space each pattern is active. Arbitrary covariates and prior hierarchies can be specified to support and leverage complex experimental designs. Transcriptomic patterns in mouse brain and olfactory bulb correspond to neuroanatomically distinct cell layers. Moreover, batch effects are successfully addressed, leading to consistent pattern inference for multi-sample analyses. On this basis, we identify known and uncharacterized genes that are spatially differentially expressed in the hippocampal field between Ammon’s horn and the dentate gyrus.