Sequencing the transcriptome of single cells: a path to discovering cellular biodiversity

Abstract

Single-cell transcriptomics (scRNA-Seq) is a breakthrough technology that has opened the way to characterizing gene expression with unprecedented resolution. It has enabled the discovery of the cellular diversity of organisms and tracing their developmental processes. A range of technological solutions have been developed to allow analysis of tens of thousands to even a million cells in a single experiment, as well as an extensive set of tools for bioinformatics analysis of the generated data. The wealth of information provided by scRNA-Seq and the possibility of using this method to study cells, organoids, tissues and even entire organisms determine its wide range of applications. In this paper, we present the experimental and computational parts of the scRNA-Seq procedure, as well as the most important applications of this technology in biomedicine, developmental biology and plant biology.