Featured journal article: Protein and RNA quantification of multiple genes in single cells
Single-cell analysis overcomes the problems of cellular heterogeneity by revealing the individual differences between cells in tissue. The current tools used to profile gene expression at the single-cell level are arduous and often require specialized equipment. Previously developed techniques are capable of quantifying protein expression levels in single living cells.
In this report, quantification of protein expression is combined with absolute measurement of mRNA amounts of the same gene in the same cell, to profile the expression of genes at the transcriptional and translational levels. The authors show that high heterogeneity exists at both the mRNA and protein levels for multiple genes, even among monoclonal cells, before demonstrating a rapid, straightforward approach to single-cell profiling of RNA and protein production.
Get more information on single-cell multiomic approaches in our Spotlight: Next-generation multiomics.