Advances in Single Plant Cell Genomics
摘要
Single-cell and spatial omics technologies are rapidly reshaping plant science. These approaches allow researchers to examine individual plant cells and understand how they function within their native tissue environment. These advanced approachs, beyond bulk sequencing methods, reveal the true heterogeneity of plant tissues. This has enabled the annotation of rare cell types, reconstruction of developmental trajectories, and enhanced insight into plant responses to the environmental stimuli. Adoption of single-cell technologies to plant systems require advanced research and innovation due to plant’s rigid cell walls, complex tissues, and diverse genomic structures. Recent advancement in protoplast isolation, microfluidic sorting, single-nucleus sequencing, and spatial transcriptomics have made it possible to profile thousands of plant cells with high accuracy. These tools have also expanded the study of specialized cell types which include callus cells, somatic embryos, fibers, trichomes, root hairs, and guard cells. Studies of such cell-types reveal their unique transcriptional programming and the associated regulatory networks. Single-cell multiomics approaches now integrate transcriptomic, epigenomic, proteomic, and metabolomic data at the cellular level, and are being increasingly adopted. Combined with improved computational tools, they offer a more complete view of gene regulation and cell-to-cell communication in plants. These insights are transforming our understanding of plant development, stress tolerance, pathogen interactions, and beneficial associations. These advancements also provide more precise strategies for crop improvement. This chapter highlights key advances, challenges, and future directions in single-cell and spatial genomics.