Single-cell transcriptomics sheds light on the identity and metabolism of developing leaf cells

Profiling young Arabidopsis leaves at the single-cell level enables mapping different cell populations, their development, and their sensitivity to mild drought. As the main photosynthetic instruments of vascular plants, leaves are crucial and complex plant organs. A strict organization of leaf mesophyll and epidermal cell layers orchestrates photosynthesis and gas exchange. In addition, water and nutrients for leaf growth are transported through the vascular tissue. To establish the single-cell transcriptomic landscape of these different leaf tissues, we performed high-throughput transcriptome sequencing of individual cells isolated from young leaves of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) seedlings grown in two different environmental conditions. The detection of approximately 19,000 different transcripts in over 1,800 high-quality leaf cells revealed 14 cell populations composing the young, differentiating leaf. Besides the cell populations comprising the core leaf tissues, we identified subpopulations with a distinct identity or metabolic activity. In addition, we proposed cell-type-specific markers for each of these populations. Finally, an intuitive web tool allows for browsing the presented dataset. Our data present insights on how the different cell populations constituting a developing leaf are connected via developmental, metabolic, or stress-related trajectories.

Automated summary

Profiling young Arabidopsis leaves at the single-cell level provides insights into the distribution, development, and sensitivity to drought of different cell populations. The study identified 14 cell populations in young leaves, including subpopulations with distinct identity or metabolic activity.