Towards the better understanding of myelopoiesis using single-cell technologies

Myeloid cells and their progenitors have historically been characterized based on their expression of a well-defined set of surface proteins, transcription factors and cytokines they depend on. These traditional analyses on “bulk” myeloid cell populations led to valuable early insights into the ontogeny of dendritic cells, granulocytes, monocytes and macrophages - a process called myelopoiesis. However, bulk approaches have limitations: they are unable to discern the individual stages and functions of progenitors and may be compromised by contaminating cells of non-myeloid lineages with similar or overlapping phenotypes. In recent years the emergence of high dimensional technologies to interrogate single cells at the molecular level, including single-cell mRNA sequencing and mass cytometry, has revolutionised our understanding of immune cell development and differentiation. Here, we highlight how the use of single-cell technologies has advanced our understanding of myelopoiesis and the emerging opportunities for it to continue to do so.