diff --git a/src/components/data-exploration/heatmap/HeatmapPlot.jsx b/src/components/data-exploration/heatmap/HeatmapPlot.jsx
index f49b6268f5..e76fbc2abe 100644
--- a/src/components/data-exploration/heatmap/HeatmapPlot.jsx
+++ b/src/components/data-exploration/heatmap/HeatmapPlot.jsx
@@ -137,8 +137,18 @@ const HeatmapPlot = (props) => {
 
     const cellOrder = populateHeatmapData(cellSets, heatmapSettings, true);
 
-    heatmapSettings.selectedGenes = selectedGenes;
-    const data = generateVitessceData(cellOrder, heatmapSettings, expressionData, cellSets);
+    // Selected genes is not contained in heatmap settings for the
+    // data exploration marker heatmap, so must be passed spearatedly.
+    // Trying to assign it to heatmapSettings will throw an error because
+    // heatmapSettings is is frozen in redux by immer.
+    const data = generateVitessceData(
+      cellOrder,
+      heatmapSettings,
+      expressionData,
+      selectedGenes,
+      cellSets,
+    );
+
     setHeatmapData(data);
   }, [
     selectedGenes,
diff --git a/src/components/plots/helpers/heatmap/vitessce/generateVitessceData.js b/src/components/plots/helpers/heatmap/vitessce/generateVitessceData.js
index 8530054f18..bbda18d869 100644
--- a/src/components/plots/helpers/heatmap/vitessce/generateVitessceData.js
+++ b/src/components/plots/helpers/heatmap/vitessce/generateVitessceData.js
@@ -3,9 +3,9 @@ import generateVitessceHeatmapTracksData from 'components/plots/helpers/heatmap/
 
 const generateVitessceData = (
   cellOrder, heatmapSettings,
-  expression, cellSets,
+  expression, selectedGenes, cellSets,
 ) => {
-  const { selectedGenes, selectedTracks } = heatmapSettings;
+  const { selectedTracks } = heatmapSettings;
 
   const trackColorData = generateVitessceHeatmapTracksData(
     selectedTracks, cellSets, cellOrder,