Single-cell transcriptomics of enriched rare neural lineages of Tribolium castaneum

Two targeted workflows enable single-cell and single-nucleus RNA sequencing of rare neural populations in Tribolium castaneum, using embryonic neuroblast reporters and first-instar larval Rx-labeled nuclei.

• Why it matters: Whole-tissue single-cell atlases can underrepresent rare cell types, and insect applications of enrichment have been limited, restricting comparative work beyond Drosophila.
• What they did: The study built two enrichment-plus-sequencing pipelines: FACS-enriched fluorescent neuroblasts from a transgenic reporter line for single-cell RNA-seq, and antibody-based Rx immunolabeling of first-instar larval brains for single-nucleus RNA-seq.
• The result: Both approaches produced suitable transcriptomic material, showing reporter-based and antibody-based strategies can access selected neural populations across developmental stages in Tribolium.

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