In our laboratory, we specialize in developing innovative methods to unravel the complexities of host-symbiont interactions in eukaryotic microbes, employing cutting-edge single-cell transcriptomics. The vast majority of these interactions in nature remain elusive due to the inability to cultivate all microbes in a laboratory setting. Consequently, our objective is to directly investigate these intricate associations within natural environments by leveraging environmental samples. This project represents an initiative to establish the Split-pool Barcoding Single Cell Transcriptomics method. Distinguished by its ability to profile 100,000 distinct cells from heterogeneous samples without the need for cell sorting, this method integrates cell fixation, in-cell reverse transcription, serial splitting, barcoding, and pooling of samples.
Within the context of host-symbiotic models, the most intriguing challenge requiring optimization is the fixation and permeabilization process. This is particularly crucial as both the host and intracellular symbiont molecules need to be fixed and permeabilized simultaneously. The primary focus of this project is to explore various fixation and permeabilization methods, aiming to optimize the transcriptional output.
BSc projectÂ
Contact: Courtney Stairs