LINE-1 retrotransposon expression in cancerous, epithelial and neuronal cells revealed by 5' single-cell RNA-Seq.
Nucleic Acids Res 2023;
51:2033-2045. [PMID:
36744437 PMCID:
PMC10018344 DOI:
10.1093/nar/gkad049]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2022] [Revised: 01/11/2023] [Accepted: 01/17/2023] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
LINE-1 retrotransposons are sequences capable of copying themselves to new genomic loci via an RNA intermediate. New studies implicate LINE-1 in a range of diseases, especially in the context of aging, but without an accurate understanding of where and when LINE-1 is expressed, a full accounting of its role in health and disease is not possible. We therefore developed a method-5' scL1seq-that makes use of a widely available library preparation method (10x Genomics 5' single cell RNA-seq) to measure LINE-1 expression in tens of thousands of single cells. We recapitulated the known pattern of LINE-1 expression in tumors-present in cancer cells, absent from immune cells-and identified hitherto undescribed LINE-1 expression in human epithelial cells and mouse hippocampal neurons. In both cases, we saw a modest increase with age, supporting recent research connecting LINE-1 to age related diseases.
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