Recent advances and applications of single-cell sequencing in insects

Single-cell genomic technologies are transforming insect science, shifting the field from basic description to functional and mechanistic research. These methods provide remarkable insights into insect physiology, development, immunity, and evolution by enabling detailed analysis of cellular diversity and molecular complexity. The rapid advancement of single-cell multi-omics technologies has made it possible to explore transcriptomic, epigenomic, proteomic, and metabolic levels, offering a comprehensive view of molecular dynamics within cells. New techniques also hold promise for high-throughput spatial transcriptomics that reveal tissue organization at subcellular resolution. The effectiveness of these technologies has greatly improved due to concurrent progress in analytical tools and deep learning algorithms capable of integrating all outputs for unprecedented biological insights. Together, these innovations have led to exciting discoveries in insect biology in a short period. This review highlights recent progress in single-cell genomics, discusses new perspectives gained in insect biology, and examines future directions for this technology from an entomological standpoint.