Single-cell expression profiling opens up new vistas on cellular processes. Extensive cell-to-cell variability at the transcriptomic and proteomic level has been one of the stand-out observations. Because most experimental analyses are destructive we only have access to snapshot data of cellular states. This loss of temporal information presents significant challenges for inferring dynamics, as well as causes of cell-to-cell variability. In particular, we typically cannot separate dynamic variability from within cells ('intrinsic noise') from variability across the population ('extrinsic noise'). Here, we make this non-identifiability mathematically precise, allowing us to identify new experimental set-ups that can assist in resolving this non-identifiability. We show that multiple generic reporters from the same biochemical pathways (e.g. mRNA and protein) can infer magnitudes of intrinsic and extrinsic transcriptional noise, identifying sources of heterogeneity. Stochastic simulations support our theory, and demonstrate that 'pathway-reporters' compare favourably to the well-known, but often difficult to implement, dual-reporter method.
Keywords: chromosomes; computational biology; extrinsic noise; gene expression; noise decomposition; none; stochasticity; systems biology.
In biology, seemingly random variation within or between cells can have significant effects on a number of cellular processes, like how cells divide and develop. For example, how often a gene is switched on, or ‘expressed’, can randomly fluctuate over time. This ‘noise’ may lead to a cell having slightly more of a particular molecule, causing it to behave differently to other cells in the population. However, it is currently unclear how this random variation is created and controlled in cells, and what effect this has on biological systems as a whole. When a gene is expressed, its sequence typically gets copied in to a molecule called mRNA, which is then processed and used to build the protein encoded by the gene. By measuring the levels of mRNA molecules in individual cells, researchers have been able to investigate how gene expression varies within populations. These experiments are carried out on dead cells at a single point in time, and mathematical models are then applied to detect noise in the molecular data. This approach, however, precludes how noise changes over time, making it difficult to determine the source of cell-to-cell variability. In particular, whether the variation detected is the result of genuine random molecular changes (intrinsic noise), or external factors – such as temperature and pH – fluctuating in the cells environment (extrinsic noise). Here, Ham et al. have built on previous mathematical models to identify a new approach for investigating the source of molecular noise. They found that for any given gene it is impossible to understand what causes its activity levels to vary just from data on its mRNA levels. Instead, information on other molecules that are affected by expression of the gene (termed ‘pathway reporters’) can provide a clearer picture of whether molecular variability is the result of intrinsic or extrinsic noise. The mathematical models developed by Ham et al. reveal what can and cannot be learned about noise from gene expression data. Furthermore, pathway-reporters are easier to measure experimentally than other reporters that are typically used to study the origins and effects of cell-to-cell variability. These findings could help researchers design single cell experiments that are better for studying noise, leading to a deeper understanding of how different types of variation impact cell biology.
© 2021, Ham et al.