Despite significant advances in parallel single-cell RNA sequencing revealing astonishing cellular heterogeneity in many tissue types, the spatial information in the tissue context remains missing. Spatial transcriptome sequencing technology is designed to distinguish the gene expression of individual cells in their original location. The technology is important for the identification of tissue function, tracking developmental processes, and pathological and molecular detection. Encoding the position information is the key to spatial transcriptomics because different methods have different encoding efficiencies and application scenarios. In this review, we focus on the latest technologies of single-cell spatial transcriptomics, including technologies based on microwell plates, barcoded bead arrays, microdissection, in situ hybridization, and barcode in situ targeting, as well as mixed separation-based technologies. Moreover, we compare these encoding methods for use as a reference when choosing the appropriate technology.

中文翻译：

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单细胞空间转录组测序的编码方法。


尽管并行单细胞 RNA 测序取得了重大进展，揭示了许多组织类型中惊人的细胞异质性，但组织环境中的空间信息仍然缺失。空间转录组测序技术旨在区分单个细胞在其原始位置的基因表达。该技术对于识别组织功能、跟踪发育过程以及病理和分子检测具有重要意义。位置信息编码是空间转录组学的关键，不同的方法有不同的编码效率和应用场景。在这篇综述中，我们重点关注单细胞空间转录组学的最新技术，包括基于微孔板、条形码珠阵列、显微切割、原位杂交和条形码原位靶向的技术，以及基于混合分离的技术。此外，我们还对这些编码方法进行了比较，以作为选择合适技术时的参考。