High resolution spatial transcriptomics method by photo-isolation chemistry

2020 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K22398
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Research (Exploratory)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Medium-sized Section 43:Biology at molecular to cellular levels, and related fields
• Research Institution: Kyoto University (2020); Kyushu University (2019)
• Principal Investigator: Honda Mizuki 京都大学, 医学研究科, 特定助教 (50828978)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-06-28 – 2021-03-31
• Keywords: RNA-seq / 光学技術 / トランスクリプトーム / 遺伝子発現解析 / 空間トランスクリプトミクス

Outline of Final Research Achievements

To gain insights into tissue-specific gene expression in multicellular systems, spatial information is required and precisely linked with gene expression profiles.Here, we have developed a novel high-resolution spatial transcriptomics technology, photo-isolation chemistry (PIC), which is able to isolate gene expression profiles only from photo-irradiated region out of whole tissues. This is a method in which a tissue section is annealed with a photocleavable blocker modified caged oligo DNA, and after a reverse transcription reaction, photo-irradiation is performed on a region of interest on the section to obtain gene expression information only from that region.

Free Research Field

システムゲノム科学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究課題で開発した PIC 法は、組織切片上の光照射した関心領域から遺伝子発現情報を高感度に取得できる技術である。また、光照射は光学限界のサブミクロンオーダーにまで絞り込むことが可能であるため、従来は解析困難であった複雑な構造の組織にも適応できる。したがって、汎用性の高い技術として幅広く利用されることが期待される。