International Journal of Molecular Zoology 2024, Vol.14, No.1, 31-43 http://animalscipublisher.com/index.php/ijmz 31 Review and Progress Open Access The Application of Single-cell Omics in Developmental Biology: from Model Organisms to Humans WeiWang Institute of Life Science,Jiyang College of Zhejiang A&F University, Zhuji, 311800, China Corresponding author email: 2741098603@qq.com International Journal of Molecular Zoology, 2024, Vol.14, No.1 doi: 10.5376/ijmz.2024.14.0005 Received: 07 Jan., 2024 Accepted: 15 Feb., 2024 Published: 26 Feb., 2024 Copyright © 2024 Wang, This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Preferred citation for this article: Wang W., 2024, The application of single-cell omics in developmental biology: from model organisms to humans, International Journal of Molecular Zoology, 14(1): 31-43 (doi: 10.5376/ijmz.2024.14.0005) Abstract With the rapid development of single-cell omics technology, its application in the field of developmental biology is becoming increasingly widespread. This article reviews the key role of single-cell omics techniques in research from model organisms to human developmental biology, revealing the importance of cell heterogeneity, dynamic monitoring of gene expression and epigenetic modifications, and constructing cross species developmental biology models. At the same time, the conservatism and diversity of single-cell omics technology in understanding human development, as well as its application in disease mechanism exploration, drug screening, and treatment strategy development, were also discussed. However, this technology still faces technical challenges such as sample preparation, data quality, and analysis complexity, as well as ethical challenges in the use and storage of human samples. This study aims to provide new perspectives and tools for the field of developmental biology, promote a deeper understanding of life processes, and provide strong support for future medical research and treatment. Keywords Single-cell omics; Developmental biology; Model organisms; Human beings; Technology application Developmental biology, as an important branch of biology, is dedicated to exploring the developmental process of organisms from single celled fertilized eggs to complex multicellular individuals. This process involves complex mechanisms of cell differentiation, tissue formation, organ construction, and ultimately individual formation. In recent years, with the rapid development of science and technology, especially the rise of single-cell omics technology, significant progress has been made in understanding the basic issues of developmental biology (Griffiths et al., 2018). Single cell omics techniques, including single-cell transcriptomics, single-cell epigenetics, and single-cell proteomics, have brought revolutionary changes to developmental biology research (Griffiths et al., 2018). These technologies can analyze key information such as gene expression, epigenetic modifications, and protein expression of individual cells during development with unprecedented precision, thereby revealing heterogeneity between cells, cell fate determination, and intercellular interactions, distinguishing different types of cells and their gene expression patterns at different developmental stages. This helps to understand how cells work together to build complex tissues and organs. From the research of model organisms such as mice, zebrafish, fruit flies, etc., single-cell omics technology has brought many breakthrough discoveries to the field of developmental biology (Irion and Nüsslein Volhard, 2022). These model organisms have advantages such as relatively simple developmental processes, short life cycles, and fast reproductive rates, making them ideal choices for studying fundamental issues in developmental biology. By conducting in-depth research on these model organisms, not only can we better understand the fundamental issues of developmental biology, but we can also provide important references and insights for human developmental biology research. However, the ultimate goal of developmental biology research is to reveal the mysteries of human development. The application of single-cell omics technology in human developmental biology research is of great significance. By analyzing single-cell omics data during human embryonic development, tissue differentiation, and organ formation, we can gain a deeper understanding of the molecular mechanisms and regulatory networks of human
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