Single-cell multiome sequencing (scRNA-seq + scATAC-seq) is molecular biology technique used to analyze both gene expression and chromatin accessibility of individual cells/nuclei at a high resolution, allowing the resolution of cellular heterogeneity within a biological sample.
Unlike bulk RNA and ATAC sequencing, which averages gene expression and chromatin accessibility across many cells, multiome sequencing enables the identification of distinct cell types, states, and subpopulations both in terms of transcriptional and epigenetic profiles. This technology is particularly useful in studying various processes and biological mechanisms including developmental processes, tumorigenesis, and immunological memory establishment. It is widely applied in biomedical research to advance personalized medicine, immunology, cancer research, and tissue regeneration studies.
Multiome datasets include two different assays: gene expression (GEX) and chromatin accessibility (ATAC).