Plant function is the result of the concerted action of single cells in different tissues. Advances in RNA-seq technologies and tissue processing allow us now to capture transcriptional changes at single-cell resolution. The incredible potential of single-cell RNA-seq lies in the novel ability to study and exploit regulatory processes in complex tissues based on the behaviour of single cells. Importantly, the independence from reporter lines allows the analysis of any given tissue in any plant. While there are challenges associated with the handling and analysis of complex datasets, the opportunities are unique to generate knowledge of tissue functions in unprecedented detail and to facilitate the application of such information by mapping cellular functions and interactions in a plant cell atlas.

植物功能是不同组织中单个细胞协同作用的结果。RNA-seq技术和组织加工技术的进步使我们现在能够以单细胞分辨率捕获转录变化。单细胞RNA-seq令人难以置信的潜力在于其具有基于单细胞行为研究和利用复杂组织中调控过程的新颖能力。重要的是，与报告基因系的独立性允许分析任何植物中的任何给定组织。尽管存在与复杂数据集的处理和分析相关的挑战，但机遇是独一无二的，它可以以前所未有的详细程度生成组织功能的知识，并通过在植物细胞地图集中绘制细胞功能和相互作用来促进此类信息的应用。