?? New Preprint Alert! Understanding how thousands of genes coordinate organ function across spatially distinct cell types is one of biology’s greatest challenges. In an exciting new study, Xiaowei Zhuang and colleagues introduce an innovative paired imaging (MERFISH) and sequencing (Perturb-seq) approach to tackle this problem. Using this multi-modal method, the team constructs genotype-phenotype maps by: ?? Identifying genetic perturbations in individual cells through imaging ?? Measuring transcriptomic responses via single-cell sequencing ??They apply this to the mouse liver, uncovering: ? Regulators of hepatocyte zonation ? Insights into liver unfolded protein response ? Distinct pathways driving hepatocyte steatosis This approach bridges the gap between genetic perturbations and cellular/tissue phenotypes, opening doors to new discoveries in organ function and providing critical data for machine-learning models of cell biology. ??Read the full preprint on bioRxiv: https://hubs.ly/Q02Z86xN0 #Genomics #MERFISH
