New Technologies for Mass Spectrometry-based Single-cell Resolved Spatial Proteomics Research

Cell-to-cell heterogeneity prevails in biological systems. Single-cell and single-cell resolved spatial proteomics can help human gain better understanding of the mechanism of any disease. Limited to the extremely low protein content in a single cell and sensitivity of detection technology, the development of the single-cell proteomic technology faces major technical challenges. Over the last few decades, the sensitivity, resolution and scanning speed of mass spectrometry have improved dramatically. Recently, new MS-based single cell resolved spatial proteomics methods have been developed for quantifying thousands of proteins in individual human cells. These spatial proteomics analyses at the single-cell level provide high-resolution data for disease, environment and biochemistry research. This review mainly focuses on the mass spectrometry-based approaches for the study of single-cell resolved spatial proteomics.