Max Planck Research Group 'Chromatin and Ageing', Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing, Joseph-Stelzmann-Str. 9b, D-50931 Cologne, Germany.
Cluster of Excellence in Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases (CECAD), University of Cologne, Joseph-Stelzmann-Str. 26, D-50931 Cologne, Germany.
Biol Chem. 2019 Jun 26;400(7):867-878. doi: 10.1515/hsz-2018-0449.
Cellular heterogeneity is an important contributor to biological function and is employed by cells, tissues and organisms to adapt, compensate, respond, defend and/or regulate specific processes. Research over the last decades has revealed that transcriptional noise is a major driver for cell-to-cell variability. In this review we will discuss sources of transcriptional variability, in particular bursting of gene expression and how it could contribute to cellular states and fate decisions. We will highlight recent developments in single cell sequencing technologies that make it possible to address cellular heterogeneity in unprecedented detail. Finally, we will review recent literature, in which these new technologies are harnessed to address pressing questions in the field of ageing research, such as transcriptional noise and cellular heterogeneity in the course of ageing.
细胞异质性是生物功能的重要贡献者，细胞、组织和生物体利用它来适应、补偿、响应、防御和/或调节特定的过程。过去几十年的研究表明，转录噪声是细胞间变异性的主要驱动因素。在这篇综述中，我们将讨论转录变异性的来源，特别是基因表达的爆发，以及它如何有助于细胞状态和命运决定。我们将强调单细胞测序技术的最新进展，这些技术使得以前所未有的细节解决细胞异质性成为可能。最后，我们将回顾最近的文献，这些新技术被用于解决衰老研究领域的紧迫问题，如衰老过程中的转录噪声和细胞异质性。
