AUTHOR=Kothalawala William J. , Barták Barbara K. , Nagy Zsófia B. , Zsigrai Sára , Szigeti Krisztina A. , Valcz Gábor , Takács István , Kalmár Alexandra , Molnár Béla TITLE=A Detailed Overview About the Single-Cell Analyses of Solid Tumors Focusing on Colorectal Cancer JOURNAL=Pathology and Oncology Research VOLUME=28 YEAR=2022 URL=https://www.por-journal.com/journals/pathology-and-oncology-research/articles/10.3389/pore.2022.1610342 DOI=10.3389/pore.2022.1610342 ISSN=1532-2807 ABSTRACT=

In recent years, the evolution of the molecular biological technical background led to the widespread application of single-cell sequencing, a versatile tool particularly useful in the investigation of tumor heterogeneity. Even 10 years ago the comprehensive characterization of colorectal cancers by The Cancer Genome Atlas was based on measurements of bulk samples. Nowadays, with single-cell approaches, tumor heterogeneity, the tumor microenvironment, and the interplay between tumor cells and their surroundings can be described in unprecedented detail. In this review article we aimed to emphasize the importance of single-cell analyses by presenting tumor heterogeneity and the limitations of conventional investigational approaches, followed by an overview of the whole single-cell analytic workflow from sample isolation to amplification, sequencing and bioinformatic analysis and a review of recent literature regarding the single-cell analysis of colorectal cancers.