Decoding Plant Cellular Complexity Through Single-Cell Omics Approaches


Authors : Sambuddha Talukdar; Satabdi Ghosh

Volume/Issue : Volume 10 - 2025, Issue 12 - December


Google Scholar : https://tinyurl.com/5x4j472r

Scribd : https://tinyurl.com/2vcav77z

DOI : https://doi.org/10.38124/ijisrt/25dec014

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Abstract : Cells form the foundational units of life, yet individual cells within the same organism often differ substantially in their molecular makeup and functional behavior. Understanding these cell-to-cell variations is essential for deciphering complex biological processes, particularly in plants where single-cell studies are still emerging. Single-cell omics technologies enable the characterization of cellular diversity by examining genomes, epigenomes, transcriptomes, proteomes, and metabolomes at the resolution of individual cells. These approaches reveal functional heterogeneity and lineage relationships that cannot be captured through bulk tissue analysis. Recent progress in cell isolation, microfluidics, amplification chemistry, and high-throughput sequencing has transformed the study of unicellular profiles across diverse organisms. This review summarizes the major single-cell omics platforms, discusses plant-specific challenges, and outlines how these technologies contribute to understanding development, stress biology, and cellular specialization. Together, these tools offer an unprecedented window into plant cellular complexity and hold promise for advancing crop improvement strategies.

Keywords : Microfluidic, Enzymolysis, Micromanipulation, Fluorescent Activated Cell Sorting (FACS), Pollen Typing.

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Cells form the foundational units of life, yet individual cells within the same organism often differ substantially in their molecular makeup and functional behavior. Understanding these cell-to-cell variations is essential for deciphering complex biological processes, particularly in plants where single-cell studies are still emerging. Single-cell omics technologies enable the characterization of cellular diversity by examining genomes, epigenomes, transcriptomes, proteomes, and metabolomes at the resolution of individual cells. These approaches reveal functional heterogeneity and lineage relationships that cannot be captured through bulk tissue analysis. Recent progress in cell isolation, microfluidics, amplification chemistry, and high-throughput sequencing has transformed the study of unicellular profiles across diverse organisms. This review summarizes the major single-cell omics platforms, discusses plant-specific challenges, and outlines how these technologies contribute to understanding development, stress biology, and cellular specialization. Together, these tools offer an unprecedented window into plant cellular complexity and hold promise for advancing crop improvement strategies.

Keywords : Microfluidic, Enzymolysis, Micromanipulation, Fluorescent Activated Cell Sorting (FACS), Pollen Typing.

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