A practical guide to targeted single-cell RNA sequencing technologies
Abstract
Current single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) methods suffer from biases that restrict the detection of cellular transcripts to 10-40% of total RNAs. This hinders the identification of transcripts of interest. Additionally, information retrieved from most high-throughput scRNA-seq methods is confined to untranslated regions toward transcript ends, resulting in loss of detail in internal regions. In this review, we outline biases in scRNA-seq protocol steps that limit transcript and region detection. We then discuss the advantages and disadvantages of targeted sequencing solutions, grouped into five categories according to the protocol step they target. Finally, we present a decision tree that guides researchers in selecting the most suitable targeted method for their experiment.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Single-cell and spatial transcriptomics
Extracellular vesicles in disease
CRISPR and Genetic Engineering
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Communications Biology
- Publisher
- Springer Science and Business Media LLC
- Volume
- 9
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 250–250
- Publication date
- 14 February 2026
- Language
- EN