A Single-Nucleus Atlas of Seed-to-Seed Development in Arabidopsis

Abstract

SUMMARY Extensive studies of the reference plant Arabidopsis have enabled a deep understanding of tissues throughout development, yet a census of cell types and states throughout development is lacking. Here, we present a single-nucleus transcriptome atlas of seed-to-seed development employing over 800,000 nuclei, encompassing a diverse set of tissues across ten developmental stages, with spatial transcriptomic validation of the dynamic seed and silique. Cross-organ analyses revealed transcriptional conservation of cell types throughout development and heterogeneity within individual cell types influenced by organ-of-origin and developmental timing, including groups of transcription factors, suggesting gatekeeping by transcription factor activation. This atlas provides a resource for the study of cell type specification throughout the development continuum and a reference for stimulus-response and genetic perturbations at the single-cell resolution.