Understanding Cell Transitions at Single-Cell Level

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SELECTBIO

Anders Stahlberg, Researcher, University of Gothenberg

Abstract
Individual cells in organism are unique units that can work both independently and together in tissues and organs. Single-cell studies on both the protein and mRNA level show large cell-to-cell variation in both resting and stimulated states. This implies that data obtained from large pools of cells does not, and indeed, cannot, accurately reflect the behavior of the individual cell. Here, we describe technical and biological aspects of single-cell analysis using qPCR. Single-cell data from tumor cell lines, embryonic stem cells, astrocytes and beta-cells will be presented to visualize how different stimuli affect cell differentiation and specific cell functions. We will also discuss how single-cell data can be used to gain detailed information about cell types and biomarkers.