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bioRxiv · 10.1101/2023.04.26.538465

A mannitol-based buffer improves single-cell RNA sequencing of high-salt marine cells

Scully, T. D.·Klein, A. M.
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Abstract

Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) enables discovery of novel cell states by transcriptomic profiling with minimal prior knowledge, making it useful for studying non-model organisms. For most marine organisms, however, cells are viable at a higher salinity than is compatible with scRNA-seq, impacting data quality and cell representation. We show that a low-salinity phosphate buffer supplemented with D-mannitol (PBS-M) enables higher-quality scRNA-seq of blood cells from the tunicate Ciona robusta. Using PBS-M reduces cell death and ambient mRNA, revealing cell states not otherwise detected. This simple protocol modification could enable or improve scRNA-seq for the majority of marine organisms.

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Scully, T. D., Klein, A. M.. 2023-04-28. A mannitol-based buffer improves single-cell RNA sequencing of high-salt marine cells. https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.04.26.538465

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