Single-cell tracing of the first hematopoietic stem cell generation in human embryos

Abstract

Tracing the emergence of the first hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) in human embryos, particularly the scarce and transient precursors thereof, is so far challenging, largely due to technical limitations and material rarity. Here, using single-cell RNA sequencing, we constructed the first genome-scale gene expression landscape covering the entire course of endothelial-to-HSC transition during human embryogenesis. The transcriptomically defined HSC-primed hemogenic endothelial cells (ECs) were captured at Carnegie stage 12-14 in an unbiased way, showing an unambiguous arterial EC feature with the up-regulation of RUNX1, MYB and ANGPT1. Importantly, subcategorizing CD34+CD45- ECs into CD44+ population strikingly enriched hemogenic ECs by over 10-fold. We further mapped the developmental path from arterial ECs via HSC-primed hemogenic ECs to hematopoietic stem progenitor cells, and revealed a distinct expression pattern of genes that were transiently over-represented upon the hemogenic fate choice of arterial ECs, including EMCN, PROCR and RUNX1T1. We also uncovered another temporally and molecularly distinct intra-embryonic hemogenic EC population, which was detected mainly at earlier CS 10 and lacked the arterial feature. Finally, we revealed the cellular components of the putative aortic niche and potential cellular interactions acting on the HSC-primed hemogenic ECs. The cellular and molecular programs and interactions that underlie the generation of the first HSCs from hemogenic ECs in human embryos, together with distinguishing HSC-primed hemogenic ECs from others, will shed light on the strategies for the production of clinically useful HSCs from pluripotent stem cells.