Across well-studied vertebrate models, immune cells first emerge during somitogenesis, well after gastrulation has established the first three embryonic tissues. Our investigation of annual killifish – an emerging model organism adapted to ephemeral ponds that dry seasonally – revealed a striking departure from the conserved developmental timeline of embryonic immune cells. By combining a PIP-Seq scRNA Seq atlas of annual killifish embryogenesis with live light-sheet imaging and functional perturbations, we discovered differentiated neutrophils before gastrulation. This work uncovers an unexpectedly early origin of vertebrate immune cells and illustrates how single-cell genomics in unconventional model organisms can reveal previously unknown developmental trajectories.
Attendee Learning Outcomes:
- Understand how single-cell RNA sequencing can reveal previously unrecognized developmental cell states and trajectories.
- Describe the involvement of immune cells before gastrulation in a vertebrate model organism.
- Learn how multimodal approaches combining genomics, imaging, and functional perturbation can uncover developmental mechanisms.
- Recognize the value of unconventional model organisms for biological discovery.
Who Should Attend:
- Assistant Professor
- Associate Professor
- Professor
- Senior Scientist
- Laboratory Technician
- Scientist
- Researcher
- Graduate Student
- Postdoctoral Research Fellow
- Postdoctoral Fellow
Speaker:
Sydney Sattler, PhD Candidate in Genome Sciences, University of Washington
Sydney Sattler is a PhD candidate in Genome Sciences at the University of Washington, where she studies the evolution of cell-fate specification in Philip Abitua’s lab. Her doctoral work produced the first single-cell atlas of killifish embryogenesis and the discovery that early immune cell development precedes gastrulation in annual killifish. Previously, she was a research associate in Martin Kampmann’s lab at UCSF, where she helped develop a CRISPRi/a screening platform in human iPSC-derived microglia to identify regulators of neurodegenerative disease states.
Sponsor:
Details
Starts: October 28, 2026 11:00 am ET
Ends: October 28, 2026 12:00 pm ET
Cost: This event is free for ASCB members and nonmembers to attend.