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Immune Cell Dynamics Unfolded by Single-Cell Technologies

Daniel J Kunz1,2,3, Tomás Gomes3, Kylie R James3

  • 1Cavendish Laboratory, Department of Physics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom.

Frontiers in Immunology
|July 13, 2018
PubMed

Insights

Single-cell technologies are revolutionizing immune system research by revealing cellular dynamics and relationships. This review explores current methods and future advancements for understanding immune cell plasticity and fate.

Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Cell Biology
  • Genomics

Background:

  • The immune system undergoes continuous remodelling throughout life.
  • Cellular phenotypes change in response to disease and memory formation.
  • Single-cell technologies offer high-resolution insights into cellular complexity.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review single-cell approaches for studying immune system dynamics.
  • To discuss cellular plasticity and fate commitment in the immune system.
  • To provide an outlook on future technological developments in the field.

Main Methods:

  • Review of current single-cell experimental techniques (e.g., scRNA-seq).
  • Discussion of computational methods for analyzing single-cell data.
  • Synthesis of existing literature on immune cell dynamics.

Main Results:

  • Single-cell analysis reveals intricate relationships between immune cell types and states.
  • Insights into immune cell plasticity and the commitment of cell fates are provided.
  • Current methods enable detailed molecular characterization of immune cells.

Conclusions:

  • Single-cell technologies are crucial for understanding immune system complexity.
  • Future technological advancements will further enhance our comprehension of immune cell behavior.
  • This field holds significant promise for disease research and therapeutic development.

Keywords:
FACScell differentiationcell fatelineage reconstructionmulti-omicsscRNA-seqsingle-celltrajectory inference

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