Single-cell RNA-sequencing has greatly increased the spatiotemporal resolution of root transcriptomics data, but we are still only scratching the surface of its full potential. Despite the challenges that remain in the field, the orderly aligned structure of the Arabidopsis root meristem makes it specifically suitable for lineage tracing and trajectory analysis. These methods will become even more potent by increasing resolution and specificity using tissue-specific single-cell RNA-sequencing and spatial transcriptomics. Feeding multiple single-cell omics data sets into single-cell gene regulatory networks will accelerate the discovery of regulators of root development in multiple species. By providing transcriptome atlases for virtually any species, single-cell technologies could tempt many root developmental biologists to move beyond the comfort of the well-known Arabidopsis root meristem.

单细胞 RNA 测序极大地提高了根转录组数据的时空分辨率，但我们仍然只触及其全部潜力的表面。尽管该领域仍然存在挑战，但拟南芥根分生组织的有序排列结构使其特别适合谱系追踪和轨迹分析。通过使用组织特异性单细胞 RNA 测序和空间转录组学提高分辨率和特异性，这些方法将变得更加有效。将多个单细胞组学数据集输入单细胞基因调控网络将加速多个物种根发育调控因子的发现。通过为几乎所有物种提供转录组图谱，单细胞技术可能会吸引许多根发育生物学家超越众所周知的拟南芥根分生组织的舒适度。