Single-cell atlas of developing murine adrenal gland reveals relation of Schwann cell precursor signature to neuroblastoma phenotype

Significance Neuroblastoma is a childhood malignancy that originates from neural crest cells. We present a single-cell transcriptome and localization atlas of the developing adrenal gland and identify seven different cell clusters that make up the adrenal medulla. Their transcriptomic profiles were used to generate gene signatures that were compared to neuroblastoma samples. The neural crest-derived “SCP” gene signature score anticorrelates with disease severity based on staging and poor prognosis (molecular) markers, while a high score was associated with higher overall survival rates.