Applications and analytical tools of cell communication based on ligand-receptor interactions at single cell level

• Main Authors: Fen Ma, Siwei Zhang, Lianhao Song, Bozhi Wang, Lanlan Wei, Fengmin Zhang
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: BMC 2021-07-01
• Series: Cell & Bioscience
• Subjects: Cell communication; Ligand-receptor interactions; Single cell RNA sequencing; Target therapy; Tumor microenvironment
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13578-021-00635-z
• ISSN: 2045-3701

Abstract Background Cellular communication is an essential feature of multicellular organisms. Binding of ligands to their homologous receptors, which activate specific cell signaling pathways, is a basic type of cellular communication and intimately linked to many degeneration processes leading to diseases. Main body This study reviewed the history of ligand-receptor and presents the databases which store ligand-receptor pairs. The recently applications and research tools of ligand-receptor interactions for cell communication at single cell level by using single cell RNA sequencing have been sorted out. Conclusion The summary of the advantages and disadvantages of analysis tools will greatly help researchers analyze cell communication at the single cell level. Learning cell communication based on ligand-receptor interactions by single cell RNA sequencing gives way to developing new target drugs and personalizing treatment.