Journal Article (Review Article) DKFZ-2026-02334

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Trace-n-Seq combines retrograde fluorescent tracing with sorting and single-cell sequencing of innervating peripheral neurons.

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2026
Nature Publishing Group Basingstoke

Nature protocols nn, nn () [10.1038/s41596-026-01416-z]
 GO

Abstract: Neuronal innervation plays a pivotal role in controlling tissue function during homeostasis and regeneration, as well as in pathological contexts such as inflammation, autoimmune disorders, fibrosis and cancer. A major obstacle in understanding neuron-tissue interactions at the molecular level is that neuronal cell bodies reside in peripheral ganglia often far outside the organ of interest and are therefore typically excluded in common single-cell datasets of tissues. Here we developed Trace-n-Seq to address this issue-a method that combines retrograde tracing with fluorescence-activated cell sorting and single-cell sequencing to molecularly profile individual neurons innervating healthy or diseased tissues. Trace-n-Seq can be used to explore the specific gene expression signatures of peripheral neurons at single-cell resolution. The method utilizes retrograde axonal tracing using Fast Blue, ganglia dissociation and fluorescence-activated cell sorting followed by single-cell RNA sequencing to enable the isolation and transcriptomic analysis of ganglia. Unlike bulk or whole-ganglia single-cell RNA sequencing without retrograde labeling, Trace-n-Seq allows the characterization of organ-specific neurons with single-cell resolution, eliminating background from uninvolved neurons and unrelated cell types located in the same ganglion. The procedure allows researchers to obtain molecular transcriptomes of tissue-innervating neurons and to study their plasticity, subtype identity and potential interactions with the tissue microenvironment. The complete Trace-n-Seq workflow can be performed in 2 weeks and is suitable for researchers with experience in molecular biology, neuronal tissue handling, sequencing techniques and bioinformatic analysis.

Classification:

Note: #EA:A010#LA:A010# / DKFZ-ZMBH Alliance / #DKTKZFB26# / epub

Contributing Institute(s):
  1. Stammzellen und Krebs (A010)
  2. NWG Tumorprogression und Metastasierung (A013)
  3. Single-cell Open Lab (W192)
  4. DKTK HD zentral (HD01)
Research Program(s):
  1. 311 - Zellbiologie und Tumorbiologie (POF4-311) (POF4-311)

Appears in the scientific report 2026
Database coverage:
Medline ; Clarivate Analytics Master Journal List ; Current Contents - Life Sciences ; DEAL Nature ; Essential Science Indicators ; IF >= 10 ; JCR ; National-Konsortium ; SCOPUS ; Science Citation Index Expanded ; Web of Science Core Collection
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 Record created 2026-09-22, last modified 2026-09-29



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