High fidelity electrophysiological, morphological, and transcriptomic cell characterization using a refined Patch-seq protocol

The Patch-seq approach is a powerful variation of the standard patch clamp technique that allows for the combined electrophysiological, morphological, and transcriptomic characterization of individual neurons. To generate Patch-seq datasets at a scale and quality that can be integrated with high-throughput dissociated cell transcriptomic data, we have optimized the technique by identifying and refining key factors that contribute to the efficient collection of high-quality data. To rapidly generate high-quality electrophysiology data, we developed patch clamp electrophysiology software with analysis functions specifically designed to automate acquisition with online quality control. We recognized a substantial improvement in transcriptomic data quality when the nucleus was extracted following the recording. For morphology success, the importance of maximizing the neurons membrane integrity during the extraction of the nucleus was much more critical to success than varying the duration of the electrophysiology recording. We compiled the lab protocol with the analysis and acquisition software at https://github.com/AllenInstitute/patchseqtools. This resource can be used by individual labs to generate data compatible with recent large scale publicly available Allen Institute Patch-seq datasets.