Single-cell analysis for BDNF and TrkB receptors in cardiac microvascular endothelial cells

Abstract

Recent studies revealed that BDNF-TrkB pathway plays an important role in cardiac microvascular endothelial cells (CMECs) mediated myocardial angiogenesis. Single-cell analysis is a powerful tool for studying gene expression in individuals since cellular heterogeneity and dynamic microenvironments which individual cell will experience. Little is currently known about the expression of BDNF and TrkB receptors at the single CMEC level. Our single-cell analysis of seven randomly selected CMECs for BDNF and TrkB receptors (FL, T1, T2) showed that under an in vitro culture environment, BDNF was expressed in two of the seven selected CMECs. None of the single CMEC expressed TrkB-FL. TrkB-T1 was expressed in all seven selected CMECs, while, TrkB-T2 was expressed in three of these. In addition, none of single CMEC was found to express both BDNF and three TrkB receptors or BDNF and TrkB-FL simultaneously. These results suggest that a stochastic or random expression pattern for BDNF and their receptors might be set in each of the CMEC to response requirement of the time and spatial change, regulation or pathophysiological change.