A research team led by Professor WANG Jin from the College of Physics at Jilin University (JLU) has made significant strides in quantifying the forces driving cell differentiation and reprogramming based on single-cell omics data.  

Their findings, titled Uncovering underlying physical principles and driving forces of cell differentiation and reprogramming from single-cell transcriptomics, were published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on Aug 16, 2024.  

By analyzing high-throughput single-cell omics data, the team reconstructed a continuous force field of cell fate using RNA velocity. They quantified the Waddington landscape and flux in cell differentiation, validating the landscape and flux theory.  

The study found that the optimal path of cell fate deviates from traditional landscape gradients, with stem and progenitor cells requiring more energy to maintain pluripotency. It also predicted the ideal developmental pathways for cell fate decisions and explored the physical nucleation mechanisms of differentiation.  

The work quantified the role of circulation in state transitions, examined cell-cell interactions and gene regulatory networks, and predicted the impact of gene perturbations on cell fate decisions. These insights offer new approaches to optimizing biological functions.  

Doctor ZHU Ligang from JLU’s College of Physics is the first author, with Professor WANG Jin from JLU and Professor FANG Xiaona from Northeast Normal University as corresponding authors.