Age-related cell state changes in Arabidopsis roots

Concurrent Symposium Description: Questions about how distinct cell types and states contribute to organ form and function lie at the heart of plant developmental biology. Single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) has made it possible to profile the expression of hundreds or thousands of genes from thousands of individual plant cells in a single experiment, providing data at a scale and resolution that was previously unachievable. Although scRNA-seq data generated from a single snapshot in time can provide a glimpse into the transcriptional heterogeneity of cell populations, including distinct cell types and developmental states, they cannot capture dynamic processes in response to stimuli and the specific spatial context for each cell is lost during sample preparation. To address these issues, a new wave of research is employing time series analysis, spatial transcriptomics, and live imaging to connect transcriptional data with cell behavior and location within a tissue. In this session, we will highlight the latest research on these topics and discuss computational methods that facilitate the analysis. We will also showcase technological innovations that decrease the cost of these techniques, making them more accessible to researchers interested in adopting them. The session will be of broad interest to the plant community, including researchers who are already using these technologies as well as those considering adopting them.

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion: In conceptualizing this symposium, we have made every effort to promote diversity among the speakers as outlined in the ASPB speaker selection rubric. Our proposed line-up includes speakers from various career stages, institutions, and racial backgrounds. To address bottlenecks with adopting single-cell and spatial technologies at diverse institutions, we include talks aimed at lowering the cost of these techniques and analyzing the resulting data.