Single-cell transcriptomics of X-ray irradiated Drosophila wing discs reveals heterogeneity related to cell-cycle status and cell location (opens in new tab)

Even seemingly homogeneous populations of cells can express phenotypic diversity in response to environmental changes. Thus, X-ray irradiation of tissues composed of diverse cell types can have complex outcomes. We have used single-cell RNA sequencing to study the effects of X-ray radiation on the Drosophila wing imaginal disc, a relatively simple tissue composed mostly of epithelial cells. Transcriptomic clustering of cells collected from the wing disc generates clusters that are mainly grou...