Cell Reports December, 2022 by Harald Shuhwerk et al.
The EMT transcription factor ZEB1 governs a fitness-promoting but vulnerable DNA replication stress response

The authors discover a chemoresistant ZEB1-high-expressing subpopulation of cancer cells. Then, they use SORT-seq to study the transcriptomes of ZEB1-high- and low-expressing cells. They find changes in cell cycle progression and DNA damage response, which creates stress resistance. This is found to, at the same time, create a targetable vulnerability in chemoresistant ZEB1-high-expressing cancer cells, which could be exploited in therapy.

Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology February, 2022 by Myrthe M. Smit et al.
Spatially Annotated Single Cell Sequencing for Unraveling Intratumor Heterogeneity

Smit et al. introduce spatially annotated single-cell sequencing, an approach based on SORT-seq, functional single-cell selection and phototagging. Applying the approach on a 2D breast tumor model, they showed that cells at the edge of the model showed invasive behavior.

BioRxiv October, 2021 by Li You et al.
Functional single cell selection and annotated profiling of dynamically changing cancer cells

You et al. present FUN-seq, a combination of functional single-cell selection, using microscopic tagging and FACS, and SORT-seq. Applied to cultured tumor cells, it shines a light on the transcriptional processes underlying the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition.