ABC portal: a single-cell database and web server for blood cells.

Area of Science:

• Hematology
• Immunology
• Genomics
• Bioinformatics

Background:

• Single-cell transcriptomics is revolutionizing the study of complex biological systems.
• Understanding blood and immune cell development, differentiation, and disorders requires comprehensive data resources.
• Existing databases may lack unified annotation and advanced analytical capabilities for single-cell data.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce the ABC portal, a novel database and web portal for single-cell transcriptomic data.
• To provide researchers and clinicians with an interactive platform for exploring and re-analyzing single-cell data.
• To facilitate a deeper understanding of hematopoiesis and blood/immune disorders through advanced data analysis.

Main Methods:

• Curated and unified single-cell reference annotation for 198 transcriptomic datasets.
• Development of web-based interactive analysis modules.
• Implementation of customized sample and cell type selection for analysis.
• Integration of cell-cell communication and disease-related gene signature analyses.

Main Results:

• The ABC portal aggregates 198 single-cell transcriptomic datasets covering blood/immune cell development, differentiation, and disorders.
• Datasets are re-annotated using a unified, manually curated reference, with special attention to hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells.
• The portal offers interactive modules for comprehensive cell-cell communication and disease-related gene signature analysis.
• Customized sample selection based on metadata and multi-cell type analysis are supported.

Conclusions:

• The ABC portal serves as a valuable, interactive resource for single-cell data exploration and re-analysis.
• Its comprehensive datasets and advanced analytical modules empower researchers and clinicians.
• The portal is expected to significantly advance the understanding of hematopoiesis and blood/immune disorders.