Bacterial single-cell transcriptomics: Recent technical advances and future applications in dentistry.

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Genomics
• Oral Health Research

Background:

• Metagenomics and metatranscriptomics offer species-level insights into the oral microbiome but miss individual cell heterogeneity.
• Current bulk approaches limit understanding of complex microbial communities and host-bacterial interactions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review technical challenges and advancements in bacterial single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq).
• To highlight the potential of scRNA-seq for dissecting oral microbiome complexity at the cellular level.
• To discuss the integration of single-cell and bulk methods for comprehensive oral disease research.

Main Methods:

• Review of pioneering studies utilizing bacterial scRNA-seq over the past decade.
• Discussion of technical barriers in capturing RNA from single bacterial cells.
• Exploration of host-bacterial dual transcriptional profiling at the single-cell level.

Main Results:

• Bacterial scRNA-seq enables investigation of phenotypic heterogeneity, rare cell types, and antibiotic resistance.
• It allows detailed analysis of individual gene expression, metabolic activity, and microbe-host interactions.
• Recent achievements demonstrate the feasibility of dual transcriptional profiling at the single-cell level.

Conclusions:

• Bacterial scRNA-seq provides unprecedented resolution for studying the oral microbiome.
• Integrating single-cell techniques with bulk methods is crucial for understanding oral diseases.
• This approach promises to drive targeted and personalized dental treatments.