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DNA and RNA sequencing of single human haploid germ cells

Our goal was to look at allele-specific gene expression in single spermatids from two human donors. We first genotyped and phased each donor using a combination of linked-read sequencing (one sample per donor, 10X Chromium), and single haploid whole genome sequencing (53 spermatids for the first donor, and 19 for the second). 


We then sequenced mRNA from single spermatids (302 from the first donor, and 164 from the second), using the Smart-Seq2 protocol. We used these gene expression data, in combination with the haplotype data, to look for gene products that exhibit allele-specific bias reflecting the haploid genotype of the cell. 

We find a large class of human genes that show such allele-specific bias in spermatids, indicating that these gene products are not fully shared across the cytoplasmic bridges that connect spermatids. We term these genes “genoinformative markers” (GIMs).