Tao Chen

Institute of Life Science, Jiyang College of Zhejiang A&F University, Zhuji, 311800, China
Author    Correspondence author
Cancer Genetics and Epigenetics, 2024, Vol. 12, No. 1   doi: 10.5376/cge.2024.12.0007
Received: 29 Dec., 2023    Accepted: 02 Feb., 2024    Published: 15 Feb., 2024

This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Chen T., 2024, Single-cell RNA sequencing reveals new insights into tumor heterogeneity, Cancer Genetics and Epigenetics, 12(1): 55-65 (doi: 10.5376/cge.2024.12.0007)

This review paper mainly explores the application and prospects of single-cell RNA sequencing technology in the study of tumor heterogeneity. As an important concept in the field of oncology, tumor heterogeneity reveals the diversity and complexity of cells within a tumor, which has significant implications for tumor initiation, progression, treatment, and prognosis. However, traditional research methods have limitations in elucidating tumor heterogeneity. In recent years, the emergence of single-cell RNA sequencing technology has brought new breakthroughs to the study of tumor heterogeneity. This paper first introduces the concept and importance of tumor heterogeneity, then outlines the development and principles of single-cell RNA sequencing technology. Subsequently, it focuses on the specific applications of single-cell RNA sequencing in tumor heterogeneity research, including the identification of intra-tumoral cell subpopulations, the analysis of gene expression differences and regulatory networks, and the investigation of interactions among tumor cells. Finally, the contributions of single-cell RNA sequencing in tumor heterogeneity research are summarized, and future research directions are prospected.

Tumor heterogeneity; Single-cell RNA Sequencing; Cell Subpopulation; Gene Expression; Tumor Cell Interactions