Application of single-cell RNA sequencing methodologies in understanding haematopoiesis and immunology

The blood and immune system are characterised by utmost diversity in its cellular components. This heterogeneity can solely be resolved with the application of single-cell technologies that enable precise examination of cell-to-cell variation. Single-cell transcriptomics is continuously pushing forward our understanding of processes driving haematopoiesis and immune responses in physiological settings as well as in disease. Remarkably, in the last five years, a number of studies involving single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) allowed the discovery of new immune cell types and revealed that haematopoiesis is a continuous rather than a stepwise process, thus challenging the classical haematopoietic lineage tree model. Researchers from the University of Cambridge summarize the most recent studies which applied scRNA-seq to answer outstanding questions in the fields of haematology and immunology and discusses the present challenges and future directions.

Applications of single-cell transcriptomics in haematology and immunology

Advances in scRNA-seq contributed to redefining the classical haematopoietic differentiation tree and dissected the heterogeneity of blood progenitors compartment. It is now possible to study antigen receptor diversity at single-cell level, thus to better understand clonal expansion of adaptive lymphocytes and discover novel immune cell type/states related to immunological challenges.