Abstract
Single-cell technologies are revolutionizing our understanding of cellular heterogeneity
and functional diversity in health and disease. Here, we review the current knowledge
and advances in liver biology using single-cell approaches. We focus on the landscape
of the composition and the function of cells in a healthy liver in the context of
its spatial organization. We also highlight the alterations of the molecular landscape
in chronic liver disease and liver cancer, which includes the identification of disease-related
cell types, altered cellular functions, dynamic cell–cell interactions, the plasticity
of malignant cells, the collective behavior of a cell community, and microenvironmental
reprogramming. We anticipate that the uncovered liver cell atlas will help deciphering
the molecular and cellular mechanisms driving a healthy liver into a disease state.
It also offers insight into the detection of new therapeutic targets and paves the
way for effective disease interventions.
Keywords
single cell - heterogeneity - liver disease - liver cancer
