Single-cell sequencing

Single-cell sequencing examines the nucleic acid sequence information from individual cells with optimized next-generation sequencing technologies, providing a higher resolution of cellular differences and a better understanding of the function of an individual cell in the context of its microenvironment.[1] For example, in cancer, sequencing the DNA of individual cells can give information about mutations carried by small populations of cells. In development, sequencing the RNAs expressed by individual cells can give insight into the existence and behavior of different cell types.[2] In microbial systems, a population of the same species can appear genetically clonal. Still, single-cell sequencing of RNA or epigenetic modifications can reveal cell-to-cell variability that may help populations rapidly adapt to survive in changing environments.[3]

  1. ^ Eberwine J, Sul JY, Bartfai T, Kim J (January 2014). "The promise of single-cell sequencing". Nature Methods. 11 (1): 25–27. doi:10.1038/nmeth.2769. PMID 24524134. S2CID 11575439.
  2. ^ Pennisi E (April 2018). "Chronicling embryos, cell by cell, gene by gene". Science. 360 (6387): 367. Bibcode:2018Sci...360..367P. doi:10.1126/science.360.6387.367. PMID 29700246.
  3. ^ Saliba AE, Westermann AJ, Gorski SA, Vogel J (August 2014). "Single-cell RNA-seq: advances and future challenges". Nucleic Acids Research. 42 (14): 8845–8860. doi:10.1093/nar/gku555. PMC 4132710. PMID 25053837.