Single-cell analysis of virus infection: Zika & beyond

DATE:  November 10, 2016
TIME:  10am PT, 1pm ET

How do you effectively detect heterogeneity in single cells?

Bulk analysis often leads to conclusions that assume averages reflect the dominant biological mechanism operating within an entire population. To fully understand how cellular heterogeneity contributes to biological function, a single-cell analysis approach must be applied.

Join us for a seminar on breakthroughs in single-cell gene expression research that have advanced our understanding of the immune response and are paving the way towards unmasking gene expression heterogeneity.

The heterogeneity of RNA expression at the single-cell level is often obscured by conventional assays of pooled cellular material. Eric Clambey, PhD recently used PrimeFlow® RNA assay to detect virus and host RNA by flow cytometry, enabling single-cell analysis of virus-host dynamics. This methodology has been applied to detect Zika virus infection, simultaneously quantifying the plus-strand RNA genome and 3’ untranslated region. In parallel, this platform has been used to study herpesvirus-induced host shutoff, directly observing host mRNA degradation in virus-infected cells. These studies have revealed unanticipated heterogeneity in virus-infected cells, and identified new interrelationships between virus and host RNA at the single-cell level.