Fig. 3.

Expression profiles measured for the whole culture differ considerably from single-cell mRNA profiles. Imperfect synchronization of cells results in broadening of expression profiles measured in the culture (Right), compared with the respective single-cell profiles (Left). The original single-cell expression profiles (A, C, and E) can be reconstructed from the observed profiles (B, D, and F, respectively) by using deconvolution. This method can also be applied when the single-cell expression profile is complex (C and E) rather than just one short-lived pulse (A).