Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, College of Engineering, Qatar University, Doha 2713, Qatar.
Biomedical Research Centre, Qatar University, Doha 2713, Qatar.
Int J Mol Sci. 2022 Mar 11;23(6):3042. doi: 10.3390/ijms23063042.
Single-cell RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) techniques can perform analysis of transcriptome at the single-cell level and possess an unprecedented potential for exploring signatures involved in tumor development and progression. These techniques can perform sequence analysis of transcripts with a better resolution that could increase understanding of the cellular diversity found in the tumor microenvironment and how the cells interact with each other in complex heterogeneous cancerous tissues. Identifying the changes occurring in the genome and transcriptome in the spatial context is considered to increase knowledge of molecular factors fueling cancers. It may help develop better monitoring strategies and innovative approaches for cancer treatment. Recently, there has been a growing trend in the integration of RNA-seq techniques with contemporary omics technologies to study the tumor microenvironment. There has been a realization that this area of research has a huge scope of application in translational research. This review article presents an overview of various types of single-cell RNA-seq techniques used currently for analysis of cancer tissues, their pros and cons in bulk profiling of transcriptome, and recent advances in the techniques in exploring heterogeneity of various types of cancer tissues. Furthermore, we have highlighted the integration of single-cell RNA-seq techniques with other omics technologies for analysis of transcriptome in their spatial context, which is considered to revolutionize the understanding of tumor microenvironment.
单细胞 RNA 测序 (RNA-seq) 技术可在单细胞水平上进行转录组分析，具有探索肿瘤发生和发展相关特征的前所未有的潜力。这些技术可以对转录本进行更好分辨率的序列分析，从而增加对肿瘤微环境中细胞多样性的理解，以及复杂异质癌组织中细胞之间相互作用的方式。在空间背景下识别基因组和转录组中发生的变化被认为可以增加对推动癌症的分子因素的了解。这可能有助于开发更好的癌症监测策略和创新的治疗方法。最近，RNA-seq 技术与当代组学技术的整合趋势日益增强，用于研究肿瘤微环境。人们已经意识到，这一研究领域在转化研究中有很大的应用范围。本文综述了目前用于癌症组织分析的各种类型的单细胞 RNA-seq 技术，它们在转录组批量分析中的优缺点，以及技术在探索各种类型癌症组织异质性方面的最新进展。此外，我们还强调了单细胞 RNA-seq 技术与其他组学技术在其空间背景下分析转录组的整合，这被认为可以彻底改变对肿瘤微环境的理解。
