Nobori Tatsuya
The Sainsbury Laboratory, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7UH, UK.
New Phytol. 2025 May 21. doi: 10.1111/nph.70220.
Advances in single-cell and spatial omics technologies have revolutionised biology by revealing the diverse molecular states of individual cells and their spatial organization within tissues. The field of plant biology has widely adopted single-cell transcriptome and chromatin accessibility profiling and spatial transcriptomics, which extend traditional cell biology and genomics analyses and provide unique opportunities to reveal molecular and cellular dynamics of tissues. Using these technologies, comprehensive cell atlases have been generated in several model plant species, providing valuable platforms for discovery and tool development. Other emerging technologies related to single-cell and spatial omics, such as multiomics, lineage tracing, molecular recording, and high-content genetic and chemical perturbation phenotyping, offer immense potential for deepening our understanding of plant biology yet remain underutilised due to unique technical challenges and resource availability. Overcoming plant-specific barriers, such as cell wall complexity and limited antibody resources, alongside community-driven efforts in developing more complete reference atlases and computational tools, will accelerate progress. The synergy between technological innovation and targeted biological questions is poised to drive significant discoveries, advancing plant science. This review highlights the current applications of single-cell and spatial omics technologies in plant research and introduces emerging approaches with the potential to transform the field.
单细胞和空间组学技术的进步通过揭示单个细胞的多种分子状态及其在组织中的空间组织，彻底改变了生物学。植物生物学领域广泛采用了单细胞转录组和染色质可及性分析以及空间转录组学，这些技术扩展了传统细胞生物学和基因组学分析，并为揭示组织的分子和细胞动态提供了独特机会。利用这些技术，已经在几种模式植物物种中生成了全面的细胞图谱，为发现和工具开发提供了有价值的平台。与单细胞和空间组学相关的其他新兴技术，如多组学、谱系追踪、分子记录以及高内涵遗传和化学扰动表型分析，为深化我们对植物生物学的理解提供了巨大潜力，但由于独特的技术挑战和资源可用性，这些技术仍未得到充分利用。克服植物特有的障碍，如细胞壁复杂性和抗体资源有限，以及社区推动开发更完整的参考图谱和计算工具的努力，将加速进展。技术创新与针对性生物学问题之间的协同作用有望推动重大发现，促进植物科学发展。本综述重点介绍了单细胞和空间组学技术在植物研究中的当前应用，并介绍了有可能改变该领域的新兴方法。
