Single-cell gene expression profiling

A key goal of biology is to relate the expression of specific genes to a particular cellular phenotype. However, current assays for gene expression destroy the structural context. By combining advances in computational fluorescence microscopy with multiplex probe design, we devised technology in which the expression of many genes can be visualized simultaneously inside single cells with high spatial and temporal resolution. Analysis of 11 genes in serum-stimulated cultured cells revealed unique patterns of gene expression within individual cells. Using the nucleus as the substrate for parallel gene analysis, we provide a platform for the fusion of genomics and cell biology: "cellular genomics."