Guan Zheng, Zhong-Yu Xie, Peng Wang, Hui-Yong Shen, Department of Orthopedics, The Eighth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen 518033, Guangdong Province, China
Yan-Feng Wu, Center for Biotherapy, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510120, Guangdong Province, China
Author contributions: Zheng G, Xie ZY, and Wang P conceived the manuscript and collected the supportive literature; Wu YF and Shen HY revised and proofread the manuscript. All authors have read and approved the final manuscript.
Supported bythe National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 81871750 and No. 81971518; the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities, No. 19ykpy01 and No. 20ykpy04; and the Key Laboratory of Basic Research and Clinical Translation of Ankylosing Spondylitis, No. ZDSYS20190902092851024.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors have no potential conflicts of interest to declare.
Corresponding author: Hui-Yong Shen, MD, PhD, Doctor, Professor, Department of Orthopedics, The Eighth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, No. 3025, Shennan Middle Road, Futian District, Shenzhen 518033, Guangdong Province, China. shenhuiy@mail.sysu.edu.cn
Received: February 29, 2020 Peer-review started: February 29, 2020 First decision: April 25, 2020 Revised: May 13, 2020 Accepted: May 27, 2020 Article in press: May 27, 2020 Published online: June 26, 2020 Processing time: 117 Days and 7.9 Hours
Abstract
Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are multipotent stromal cells with great potential for clinical applications. However, little is known about their cell heterogeneity at a single-cell resolution, which severely impedes the development of MSC therapy. In this review, we focus on advances in the identification of novel surface markers and functional subpopulations of MSCs made by single-cell RNA sequencing and discuss their participation in the pathophysiology of stem cells and related diseases. The challenges and future directions of single-cell RNA sequencing in MSCs are also addressed in this review.
Core tip: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are an important kind of multipotent stroma cells in vivo. Previous studies have focused on large groups of cells. In this review, we focus on advances in the identification of novel surface markers and functional subpopulations of MSCs made by single-cell RNA sequencing and discuss their participation in the pathophysiology of stem cells and related diseases.
