Correspondence:
Prof. Dr. Xicheng Song. Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck
Surgery. Yantai Yuhuangding Hospital, Qingdao University, Yantai 264000,
China. Tel: +86535 6691999; Fax: +86535 6240341; E-mail:
drxchsong@163.com
Prof. Dr. Yu Zhang. Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery.
Yantai Yuhuangding Hospital, Qingdao University, Yantai 264000, China.
Tel: +86535 6691999; Fax: +86535 6240341; E-mail: superzhang013@163.com
Potential conflict of interest: The authors declare no conflict
of interest.
Funding sources for the study: The research was supported by
the National Key Research and Development Program of China
(2022YFC2504104), the National Natural Science Foundation of China
(82271146 and 82271147) and the Major Scientific and Technological
Innovation Project of Shandong Province (2020CXGC011302 and
2022CXGC020506).
Acknowledgement: The authors thank all the staff from
Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery.
Abstract
Single-cell sequencing (SCS), including genomic, transcriptomic,
epigenomic, proteomic, and metabolomic sequencing, is a powerful tool
for revealing cellular and molecular landscapes at the level of
single-cell resolution. The use of SCS in upper and lower airway
diseases has revealed numerous intrinsic biological characteristics and
dynamics of airway inflammation, cancer, viral infection, and other
lesions, and has also constructed an immune landscape of health and
disease states. In this report, we review how advances in SCS technology
have increased our understanding of upper and lower airway diseases,
including chronic rhinosinusitis, allergic rhinitis, asthma, chronic
obstructive pulmonary disease, pulmonary fibrosis, and other
inflammatory diseases, as well as the landscape of airway immune cells
in healthy and pathological conditions. We also discuss the potential
mechanisms of tumor heterogeneity, circulating tumor cells, and tumor
biological behavior. The rapid development of single-cell technology
will further increase our understanding of the biological
characteristics of upper and lower airway diseases and provide precise
treatment targets for patients.
Key words: Upper and lower airway; Single-cell sequencing;
Single cell map of the airway; Immune microenvironment; Tumor
circulating cells.