Single-cell RNA sequencing in cancer: Applications, advances, and emerging challenges

Guangshun Sun; Zhouxiao Li; Dawei Rong; Hao Zhang; Xuesong Shi; Weijun Yang; Wubin Zheng; Guoqiang Sun; Fan Wu; Hongyong Cao; Weiwei Tang; Yangbai Sun

doi:10.1016/j.omto.2021.04.001

Single-cell RNA sequencing in cancer: Applications, advances, and emerging challenges

Mol Ther Oncolytics. 2021 May 8:21:183-206. doi: 10.1016/j.omto.2021.04.001. eCollection 2021 Jun 25.

Authors

Guangshun Sun^{1

2}, Zhouxiao Li³, Dawei Rong⁴, Hao Zhang^{1

5}, Xuesong Shi², Weijun Yang², Wubin Zheng², Guoqiang Sun², Fan Wu², Hongyong Cao², Weiwei Tang⁴, Yangbai Sun¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Musculoskeletal Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
² Department of General Surgery, Nanjing First Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.
³ Department of Hand Surgery, Plastic Surgery and Aesthetic Surgery, Ludwig Maximilians University, Munich, Germany.
⁴ Hepatobiliary/Liver Transplantation Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Key Laboratory of Living Donor Transplantation, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.
⁵ Department of Orthopedic Oncology, Shanghai Changzheng Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China.

Abstract

Cancer has become one of the greatest threats to human health, and new technologies are urgently needed to further clarify the mechanisms of cancer so that better detection and treatment strategies can be developed. At present, extensive genomic analysis and testing of clinical specimens shape the insights into carcinoma. Nevertheless, carcinoma of humans is a complex ecosystem of cells, including carcinoma cells and immunity-related and stroma-related subsets, with accurate characteristics obscured by extensive genome-related approaches. A growing body of research shows that sequencing of single-cell RNA (scRNA-seq) is emerging to be an effective way for dissecting human tumor tissue at single-cell resolution, presenting one prominent way for explaining carcinoma biology. This review summarizes the research progress of scRNA-seq in the field of tumors, focusing on the application of scRNA-seq in tumor circulating cells, tumor stem cells, tumor drug resistance, the tumor microenvironment, and so on, which provides a new perspective for tumor research.

Keywords: carcinoma; carcinoma stem cells; single-cell RNA sequencing; tumor microenvironment; tumor resistance.

Publication types

Review