Discordant Genome Assemblies Drastically Alter the Interpretation of Single-Cell RNA Sequencing Data Which Can Be Mitigated by a Novel Integration Method
Advances in sequencing and assembly technology have led to the creation of genome assemblies for a wide variety of non-model organisms. The rapid production and proliferation of updated, novel assembly versions can create vexing problems for researchers when multiple-genome assembly versions are ava...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-02-01
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| Series: | Cells |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4409/11/4/608 |
| _version_ | 1797481877393637376 |
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| author | Helen G. Potts Madeleine E. Lemieux Edward S. Rice Wesley Warren Robin P. Choudhury Mathilda T. M. Mommersteeg |
| author_facet | Helen G. Potts Madeleine E. Lemieux Edward S. Rice Wesley Warren Robin P. Choudhury Mathilda T. M. Mommersteeg |
| author_sort | Helen G. Potts |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Advances in sequencing and assembly technology have led to the creation of genome assemblies for a wide variety of non-model organisms. The rapid production and proliferation of updated, novel assembly versions can create vexing problems for researchers when multiple-genome assembly versions are available at once, requiring researchers to work with more than one reference genome. Multiple-genome assemblies are especially problematic for researchers studying the genetic makeup of individual cells, as single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNAseq) requires sequenced reads to be mapped and aligned to a single reference genome. Using the <i>Astyanax mexicanus</i>, this study highlights how the interpretation of a single-cell dataset from the same sample changes when aligned to its two different available genome assemblies. We found that the number of cells and expressed genes detected were drastically different when aligning to the different assemblies. When the genome assemblies were used in isolation with their respective annotations, cell-type identification was confounded, as some classic cell-type markers were assembly-specific, whilst other genes showed differential patterns of expression between the two assemblies. To overcome the problems posed by multiple-genome assemblies, we propose that researchers align to each available assembly and then integrate the resultant datasets to produce a final dataset in which all genome alignments can be used simultaneously. We found that this approach increased the accuracy of cell-type identification and maximised the amount of data that could be extracted from our single-cell sample by capturing all possible cells and transcripts. As scRNAseq becomes more widely available, it is imperative that the single-cell community is aware of how genome assembly alignment can alter single-cell data and their interpretation, especially when reviewing studies on non-model organisms. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T22:20:50Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-158994f1a5ca40c5ac1716139f778947 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4409 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T22:20:50Z |
| publishDate | 2022-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Cells |
| spelling | doaj.art-158994f1a5ca40c5ac1716139f7789472023-11-23T19:14:02ZengMDPI AGCells2073-44092022-02-0111460810.3390/cells11040608Discordant Genome Assemblies Drastically Alter the Interpretation of Single-Cell RNA Sequencing Data Which Can Be Mitigated by a Novel Integration MethodHelen G. Potts0Madeleine E. Lemieux1Edward S. Rice2Wesley Warren3Robin P. Choudhury4Mathilda T. M. Mommersteeg5Burdon Sanderson Cardiac Science Centre, Department of Physiology, Anatomy & Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PT, UKBioinfo, Plantagenet, ON K0B 1L0, CanadaDepartment of Animal Sciences, Bond Life Sciences Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65201, USADepartment of Animal Sciences, Bond Life Sciences Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65201, USADivision of Cardiovascular Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 9DU, UKBurdon Sanderson Cardiac Science Centre, Department of Physiology, Anatomy & Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PT, UKAdvances in sequencing and assembly technology have led to the creation of genome assemblies for a wide variety of non-model organisms. The rapid production and proliferation of updated, novel assembly versions can create vexing problems for researchers when multiple-genome assembly versions are available at once, requiring researchers to work with more than one reference genome. Multiple-genome assemblies are especially problematic for researchers studying the genetic makeup of individual cells, as single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNAseq) requires sequenced reads to be mapped and aligned to a single reference genome. Using the <i>Astyanax mexicanus</i>, this study highlights how the interpretation of a single-cell dataset from the same sample changes when aligned to its two different available genome assemblies. We found that the number of cells and expressed genes detected were drastically different when aligning to the different assemblies. When the genome assemblies were used in isolation with their respective annotations, cell-type identification was confounded, as some classic cell-type markers were assembly-specific, whilst other genes showed differential patterns of expression between the two assemblies. To overcome the problems posed by multiple-genome assemblies, we propose that researchers align to each available assembly and then integrate the resultant datasets to produce a final dataset in which all genome alignments can be used simultaneously. We found that this approach increased the accuracy of cell-type identification and maximised the amount of data that could be extracted from our single-cell sample by capturing all possible cells and transcripts. As scRNAseq becomes more widely available, it is imperative that the single-cell community is aware of how genome assembly alignment can alter single-cell data and their interpretation, especially when reviewing studies on non-model organisms.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4409/11/4/608genome assembly<i>Astyanax mexicanus</i>integrationseuratread alignmentnon-model organisms |
| spellingShingle | Helen G. Potts Madeleine E. Lemieux Edward S. Rice Wesley Warren Robin P. Choudhury Mathilda T. M. Mommersteeg Discordant Genome Assemblies Drastically Alter the Interpretation of Single-Cell RNA Sequencing Data Which Can Be Mitigated by a Novel Integration Method Cells genome assembly <i>Astyanax mexicanus</i> integration seurat read alignment non-model organisms |
| title | Discordant Genome Assemblies Drastically Alter the Interpretation of Single-Cell RNA Sequencing Data Which Can Be Mitigated by a Novel Integration Method |
| title_full | Discordant Genome Assemblies Drastically Alter the Interpretation of Single-Cell RNA Sequencing Data Which Can Be Mitigated by a Novel Integration Method |
| title_fullStr | Discordant Genome Assemblies Drastically Alter the Interpretation of Single-Cell RNA Sequencing Data Which Can Be Mitigated by a Novel Integration Method |
| title_full_unstemmed | Discordant Genome Assemblies Drastically Alter the Interpretation of Single-Cell RNA Sequencing Data Which Can Be Mitigated by a Novel Integration Method |
| title_short | Discordant Genome Assemblies Drastically Alter the Interpretation of Single-Cell RNA Sequencing Data Which Can Be Mitigated by a Novel Integration Method |
| title_sort | discordant genome assemblies drastically alter the interpretation of single cell rna sequencing data which can be mitigated by a novel integration method |
| topic | genome assembly <i>Astyanax mexicanus</i> integration seurat read alignment non-model organisms |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4409/11/4/608 |
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