Exploring early human development and oogenesis through spatial transcriptomics

Fu WEI^1,2, Hui CHENG^1,2, Conny van MUNSTEREN¹, Marco DE RUITER¹, Anna ALEMANY^1,2, Susana CHUVA DE SOUSA LOPES^1,2

1   Dept Anatomy and Embryology, Leiden University Medical Center, 2333 ZC Leiden, The Netherlands

2   The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Stem Cell Medicine (reNEW), Leiden University Medical Center, 2333 ZC Leiden, The Netherlands

Abstract Text:

New omics technologies are helping to understand the molecular signatures of cell types in our body. However, we still know little about their spatial arrangements both during development and adulthood. We are using spatial transcriptomics to investigate cell populations and their positioning during the early human development and female urogenital system. Our results provide new insights on tissue architecture during development of the human embryo and extraembryonic structures, and in particular of the developing primordial germ cells. Moreover, our analysis of the ovary and reproductive tract can prove beneficial to understand tissue remodeling and infertility in humans.