Single-cell RNA-Seq unveils tumor microenvironment.

Single cell transcriptome analysis is a powerful tool for defining cell types or sub-populations within a heterogeneous bulk population. Tumor-associated microenvironment is a complex ecosystem consisting of numerous cell types that support tumor growth, angiogenesis, immune evasion, and metastasis. With the success of checkpoint inhibitors targeting the immune cell compartment, tumor microenvironment is emerging as a potential anti-cancer target, and understanding it has become an imminent subject in cancer biology. [BMB Reports 2017; 50(6): 283-284].