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Updated: Feb 13, 2026
09:44
Lineage Tracing of Inducible Fluorescently-Labeled Stem Cells in the Adult Mouse Brain
Published on: May 20, 2022
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Single-cell mitochondrial lineage tracing: Opportunities and challenges.
Siqi Li1,2,3, Kun Wang4, Xin Wang2,5
1Department of Biomedical Engineering Southern University of Science and Technology Shenzhen Guangdong China.
Quantitative Biology (Beijing, China)
|February 12, 2026
Summary
Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) lineage tracing offers a powerful, non-invasive method for studying cell development and disease. This review explores current techniques and challenges for robust single-cell analysis.
Area of Science:
- Cell biology
- Genomics
- Biotechnology
Background:
- Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) variants enable lineage tracing without genetic engineering.
- This technique is valuable for human clinical samples in oncology, developmental biology, and regenerative medicine.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review experimental and computational approaches for single-cell mtDNA variant analysis.
- To discuss current challenges and future directions for improving mitochondrial lineage tracing.
Main Methods:
- Profiling mtDNA variants from single-cell genomic, transcriptomic, and epigenomic data.
- Examining various experimental and computational methodologies.
Main Results:
- Despite advances, challenges like genetic drift, bottlenecks, variant identification, and low mtDNA coverage persist.
- Current methods offer insights but require further refinement for robust lineage reconstruction.
Conclusions:
- Enhanced robustness and applicability of single-cell mitochondrial lineage tracing are crucial for future research.
- Addressing current limitations will unlock broader applications in medicine and biology.
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