Single-cell RNA sequencing reveals key regulators and differentiation trajectory of iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes

Cardiac differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells is not only a new strategy of regenerative therapy for cardiovascular disease treatment but also provides unique opportunities for the study of in vitro disease models and human heart development. To elucidate the dynamic gene regulatory networks and pivotal regulators involved in the cardiomyocyte differentiation process, we conducted an analysis of single-cell RNA sequencing data obtained from the reprogramming of two human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) lines into cardiomyocytes. The data were collected from 32,365 cells at 4 stages of this process. We successfully identified cardiomyocyte clusters and several other cell clusters with different molecular characteristics derived from iPSC and described the differentiation trajectory of cardiomyocytes during differentiation in vitro. Through differential gene analysis and SCENIC analysis, we identified several candidate genes including CREG and NR2F2 that play an important regulatory role in cardiomyocyte lineage commitment. This study provides the key differentiation trajectory of heart differentiation in vitro at single-cell resolution and reveals the molecular basis of heart development and differentiation of iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes.