Sahlgrenska Cancer Center, Department of Pathology, Sahlgrenska Academy at University of Gothenburg, Box 425, 40530 Gothenburg, Sweden.
Expert Rev Mol Diagn. 2011 Sep;11(7):735-40. doi: 10.1586/erm.11.60.
Gene-expression profiling has been successfully applied in various diagnostic applications, but its full capacity is yet to be realized. Samples are generally prepared from a mixture of different cells that are present in unknown proportions. Cells are, in many aspects, unique in their characteristics and this heterogeneity confounds the expression profile. The development of new and robust techniques to measure gene expression in single cells opens new avenues in molecular medicine. Today, gene-expression profiles of individual cells can be measured with high precision and accuracy, identifying different cell types as well as revealing heterogeneity among cells of the same kind. Here, we review practical aspects of single-cell gene-expression profiling using reverse transcription quantitative real-time PCR and its potential use in diagnostics.
基因表达谱分析已成功应用于各种诊断应用，但尚未充分发挥其潜力。样本通常是从不同细胞的混合物中制备的，而这些细胞的比例是未知的。从许多方面来说，细胞的特性都是独一无二的，这种异质性使表达谱变得复杂。开发新的、强大的技术来测量单细胞中的基因表达，为分子医学开辟了新的途径。如今，单个细胞的基因表达谱可以高精度和高准确度地测量，不仅可以识别不同的细胞类型，还可以揭示同种细胞之间的异质性。在这里，我们综述了使用逆转录定量实时 PCR 进行单细胞基因表达谱分析的实用方面及其在诊断中的潜在应用。
