Single-cell sequencing technology applied to epigenetics for the study of tumor heterogeneity

Clinical Epigenetics

Review

Qing Guo¹  Zhuowen Long¹  Junxing Huang¹  Feng Shen²  Tingting Han³  Yuhua Hu³  Xi Yang⁴  Jiangfeng Shen⁵  Jiale Wen⁶ 

[1] Department of Oncology, The Affiliated Taizhou People’s Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Taizhou School of Clinical Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, 225300, Taizhou, Jiangsu, China;Department of Oncology, The Affiliated Taizhou People’s Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Taizhou School of Clinical Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, 225300, Taizhou, Jiangsu, China;Department of Neurosurgery, The Affiliated Taizhou People’s Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Taizhou School of Clinical Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, 225300, Taizhou, Jiangsu, China;Department of Oncology, The Affiliated Taizhou People’s Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Taizhou School of Clinical Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, 225300, Taizhou, Jiangsu, China;Graduate School, Dalian Medical University, 116044, Dalian, Liaoning, China;Department of Radiation Oncology, Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, 610041, Chengdu, China;Department of Thoracic Surgery, The Affiliated Taizhou People’s Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Taizhou School of Clinical Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, 225300, Taizhou, Jiangsu, China;Graduate School, Dalian Medical University, 116044, Dalian, Liaoning, China;Department of Cardiology, The Affiliated Taizhou People’s Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Taizhou School of Clinical Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, 225300, Taizhou, Jiangsu, China;

关键词: Single-cell sequencing;    Epigenome;    Multi-omics;    Tumor heterogeneity;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s13148-023-01574-x

 received in 2023-07-16, accepted in 2023-09-27,  发布年份 2023

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundPrevious studies have traditionally attributed the initiation of cancer cells to genetic mutations, considering them as the fundamental drivers of carcinogenesis. However, recent research has shed light on the crucial role of epigenomic alterations in various cell types present within the tumor microenvironment, suggesting their potential contribution to tumor formation and progression. Despite these significant findings, the progress in understanding the epigenetic mechanisms regulating tumor heterogeneity has been impeded over the past few years due to the lack of appropriate technical tools and methodologies.ResultsThe emergence of single-cell sequencing has enhanced our understanding of the epigenetic mechanisms governing tumor heterogeneity by revealing the distinct epigenetic layers of individual cells (chromatin accessibility, DNA/RNA methylation, histone modifications, nucleosome localization) and the diverse omics (transcriptomics, genomics, multi-omics) at the single-cell level. These technologies provide us with new insights into the molecular basis of intratumoral heterogeneity and help uncover key molecular events and driving mechanisms in tumor development.ConclusionThis paper provides a comprehensive review of the emerging analytical and experimental approaches of single-cell sequencing in various omics, focusing specifically on epigenomics. These approaches have the potential to capture and integrate multiple dimensions of individual cancer cells, thereby revealing tumor heterogeneity and epigenetic features. Additionally, this paper outlines the future trends of these technologies and their current technical limitations.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© BioMed Central Ltd., part of Springer Nature 2023

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