Application of single-cell sequencing on stem cell research

The variation and heterogeneity within cells are the fundamental features of stem cells. Each tissue has a resident stem cell niche compartmentalized to perform destined physiology and maintenance of tissue homeostasis. The stem cell niche is populated with tissue-specific pluripotent and multipotent cell types amid differentiated and intermediate progenitor cell types, thus forming a heterogeneous milieu. Therefore, identifying the stem cell population with high clonal propagation and potency for human application remains a significant challenge for researchers globally. With recent advancements in the high throughput sequencing platform, single-cell transcriptomic sequencing technology provides in-depth analysis of the expression profile of a genome at a single-cell level. This versatile technology would be a transformative approach to biomedical research as it can efficiently analyze cellular heterogeneity and identify minor subset populations of clinical importance. Single-cell sequencing technology has developed rapidly in recent years with the advent and advancement of cell sorting and nucleic acid extraction methods. Further, applying single-cell sequencing in different types of stem cells, including pluripotent stem cells, tissue-specific resident stem cells, and cancer stem cells, would lead to several exciting discoveries in stem cell research. The current chapter will lucidly narrate the basic and advanced levels of single-cell genomics and its interpretation and applications in the thematic area of stem cell biology. This chapter will also provide a glimpse of the application of single-cell sequencing technology in tissue engineering and organoid culture to a great extent. In summary, we will apprehend the latest progress and future perspectives of single-cell sequencing in stem cell biology in this chapter.