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Lin S, Liu Y, Zhang M, Xu X, Chen Y, Zhang H, Yang C. Microfluidic single-cell transcriptomics: moving towards multimodal and spatiotemporal omics. LAB ON A CHIP 2021; 21:3829-3849. [PMID: 34541590 DOI: 10.1039/d1lc00607j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Cells are the basic units of life with vast heterogeneity. Single-cell transcriptomics unveils cell-to-cell gene expression variabilities, discovers novel cell types, and uncovers the critical roles of cellular heterogeneity in biological processes. The recent advances in microfluidic technologies have greatly accelerated the development of single-cell transcriptomics with regard to throughput, sensitivity, cost, and automation. In this article, we review state-of-the-art microfluidic single-cell transcriptomics, with a focus on the methodologies. We first summarize six typical microfluidic platforms for isolation and transcriptomic analysis of single cells. Then the on-going trend of microfluidic transcriptomics towards multimodal omics, which integrates transcriptomics with other omics to provide more comprehensive pictures of gene expression networks, is discussed. We also highlight single-cell spatial transcriptomics and single-cell temporal transcriptomics that provide unprecedented spatiotemporal resolution to reveal transcriptomic dynamics in space and time, respectively. The emerging applications of microfluidic single-cell transcriptomics are also discussed. Finally, we discuss the current challenges to be tackled and provide perspectives on the future development of microfluidic single-cell transcriptomics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shichao Lin
- The MOE Key Laboratory of Spectrochemical Analysis & Instrumentation, The Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology of Fujian Province, State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, Department of Chemical Biology, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China.
| | - Yilong Liu
- The MOE Key Laboratory of Spectrochemical Analysis & Instrumentation, The Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology of Fujian Province, State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, Department of Chemical Biology, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China.
| | - Mingxia Zhang
- The MOE Key Laboratory of Spectrochemical Analysis & Instrumentation, The Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology of Fujian Province, State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, Department of Chemical Biology, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China.
| | - Xing Xu
- The MOE Key Laboratory of Spectrochemical Analysis & Instrumentation, The Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology of Fujian Province, State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, Department of Chemical Biology, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China.
| | - Yingwen Chen
- The MOE Key Laboratory of Spectrochemical Analysis & Instrumentation, The Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology of Fujian Province, State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, Department of Chemical Biology, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China.
| | - Huimin Zhang
- The MOE Key Laboratory of Spectrochemical Analysis & Instrumentation, The Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology of Fujian Province, State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, Department of Chemical Biology, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China.
- Innovation Laboratory for Sciences and Technologies of Energy Materials of Fujian Province (IKKEM), Xiamen 361005, China
| | - Chaoyong Yang
- The MOE Key Laboratory of Spectrochemical Analysis & Instrumentation, The Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology of Fujian Province, State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, Department of Chemical Biology, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China.
- Innovation Laboratory for Sciences and Technologies of Energy Materials of Fujian Province (IKKEM), Xiamen 361005, China
- Institute of Molecular Medicine, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200127, China
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