# XenCAT: Xenopus Single Cell Atlas

> **NIH NIH R24** · HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL · 2022 · $805,562

## Abstract

Project Summary
The genetic causes of human diseases are rapidly being identified thanks to a revolution in human
genomics. Progress toward a deeper understanding, however, requires further analysis of the
underlying developmental, cellular and molecular mechanisms, as well as the establishment of
predictive disease models to test therapeutic options. Ultimately, genes do not function in
isolation; they are grouped spatially and temporally at multiple nested levels, the most salient
functional unit being the single cell. Observing biological systems at the cellular level provides an
unprecedented opportunity to define functional modularity and combinatorial interactions of
genes in various physiological contexts. Many of these contexts are conserved in evolution,
deviations from which produce important innovations but which also lead to malformations and
disease. Accordingly, a Human Cell Atlas is being built with the hope that it will form a core of this
single-cell perspective. Parallel work in model organisms will be crucial, and cell atlases are being
constructed currently e.g. in mouse and zebrafish. From Gurdon's discovery of nuclear
reprogramming, through characterization of the cyclins that drive the cell cycle, to many recent
discoveries on signaling among cells, Xenopus remains at the forefront of biomedical research, as
a unique model. We propose to establish a Single Cell Atlas for this important model system which
would enhance the value of the unique methods already available in Xenopus and allow effective
communication to other experimental systems including human. It will be a critical complement
to other emerging Xenopus tools, such as CRISPR-edited mutant lines, which could be most easily
characterized in developmental and adult function at the single-cell level. Moreover, the large cell
size of amphibian embryonic cells has already made single-cell proteomics possible in Xenopus,
well ahead of other organisms; thus, Xenopus is the natural choice for spearheading the shift
towards single-cell proteomics. Overall, this project will enhance a critical animal model for the
investigation of human disease mechanisms and open new horizons for many already supported
NIH projects in other Institutes that focus on specific organ systems and disease.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10495376
- **Project number:** 1R24OD031956-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL
- **Principal Investigator:** Marko E Horb
- **Activity code:** R24 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $805,562
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-08-01 → 2026-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10495376

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10495376, XenCAT: Xenopus Single Cell Atlas (1R24OD031956-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10495376. Licensed CC0.

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