Single Cell Aneugen Assay in Neural Progenitor Cells

AbstractAneuploidy is a common feature of many congenital disorders such as Down s Syndromeor TrisomyIt is an extremely common feature in cancerand nearly all solid tumors and almost half of hematopoetic cancers are aneuploidThe current gold standard for assessment of aneugen activity is the micronucleus assayWe are developing a novel molecular assay for aneuploidy using single cell RNA sequencingscRNAseqThe assay will indicate whether a cell is euploid or aneuploidwhich chromosome saffectedand how a toxicant has affected the target cell transcriptomeeither independent of or in conjunction with one or more aneuploid chromosomesElucidation of the affected or predictive pathwaysgene families and cellular processes will provide a richhighly detailed global view of the consequences of compound exposure on a celland may lead to a molecular understanding of different fates for different chromosome aneuploidies Aneuploidy is the gain or loss of an entire chromosome in a cellIt is a hallmark of cancers and many reproductive abnormalitiesbut is paradoxically also a part of normal fetal developmentDespite its importanceaneuploidy is not as well studied as other types of genetic alterationsWe are developing a novelhigh throughput assay to characterize chemicals that cause aneuploidy and their impact at the single cell level