The promise of single-cell sequencing

Individual cells of the same phenotype are commonly viewed as identical functional units of a tissue or organ. However, the deep sequencing of DNA and RNA from single cells suggests a more complex ecology of heterogeneous cell states that together produce emergent system-level function. Continuing development of high-content, real-time, multimodal single-cell measurement technologies will lead to the ultimate goal of understanding the function of an individual cell in the context of its microenvironment.