Determining gene expression control during neural differentiation through coupled protein localization and RNA-seq in single cells

Although the primary sequence of the eukaryotic genome is largely invariant across cells in an organism, the expression of genes is tightly regulated: specific complements and levels of expressed genes define the identity and function of cells. A primary mechanism of gene expression control is at the level of access to DNA sequences that can direct expression of individual genes. Access to these DNA regulatory elements is established and maintained by the combinatorial binding of an immense repertoire of transcription factors (TFs) and chromatin regulators which function together to drive cell-type-specific gene expression. There is a range of cell heterogeneity that enables distinct expression levels within a tissue or population of cells, establishing average expression within the population but conferring different properties on individual cells. Importantly, the level of gene expression heterogeneity across single cells has only recently become clear through technological innovations that have permitted the development of single-cell genomic assays