Next-generation sequencing (NGS) has been well applied to assess genetic abnormalities in various biological samples to investigate disease mechanisms. With the advent of high-throughput and automatic testing platforms, NGS can identify radiation-sensitive and dose-responsive biomarkers, contributing to triage patients and determining risk groups for treatment in a nuclear emergency. While bulk NGS provides a snapshot of the average gene expression or genomic changes within a group of cells after the radiation, it cannot provide information on individual cells within the population. On the other hand, single-cell sequencing involves isolating individual cells and sequencing the genetic material from each cell separately. This approach allows for the identification of gene expression and genomic changes in individual cells, providing a high-resolution view of cellular diversity and heterogeneity within a sample. Single-cell sequencing is particularly useful to identify cell-specific features of dose-response and organ-response genes. While single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) technology is still emerging in radiation research, it holds significant promise for identifying biomarkers related to radiation exposure and tailoring post-radiation medical care. This review aims to focus on current methods of radiation dosimetry and recently identified biomarkers associated with radiation exposure. Additionally, it addresses the development of NGS techniques in the context of radiation situations, such as cancer treatment and emergency events, with a particular emphasis on single-cell sequencing technology.
下一代测序技术已广泛应用于评估各类生物样本中的遗传异常，以探究疾病机制。随着高通量自动化检测平台的出现，该技术能够识别辐射敏感性和剂量响应性生物标志物，有助于在核应急情况下对患者进行分诊并确定治疗风险群体。尽管批量测序技术能够提供辐射后细胞群体内平均基因表达或基因组变化的概览，但无法揭示群体内单个细胞的信息。相比之下，单细胞测序技术通过分离单个细胞并分别对每个细胞的遗传物质进行测序，能够识别单个细胞的基因表达和基因组变化，从而提供样本内细胞多样性和异质性的高分辨率视图。该技术特别适用于识别剂量响应基因和器官响应基因的细胞特异性特征。虽然单细胞RNA测序技术在辐射研究领域仍处于发展阶段，但在识别辐射暴露相关生物标志物和定制辐射后医疗方案方面具有重要潜力。本综述旨在聚焦当前辐射剂量测定方法及近期发现的辐射暴露相关生物标志物，同时探讨下一代测序技术在癌症治疗和应急事件等辐射情境下的发展，特别关注单细胞测序技术的应用进展。
肿瘤(癌症)患者之家