Single-Cell Omics in Microbiome Research

This volume introduces the revolutionary field of microbial single-cell omics, a suite of cutting-edge techniques that uncover the genetic, functional, and metabolic signatures of individual microbial cells. From the discovery of new microbial lineages to decoding virus-host interactions, this book highlights the transformative impact of single-cell genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics. With expert protocols and innovative workflows, the book provides practical guidance on fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS), microfluidic encapsulation, and advanced genome amplification techniques. It also explores targeted methods, like FISH-FACS for recovering rare microbes, activity-based cell separation, and multi-omics approaches that integrate genomic, transcriptomic, and proteomic data. The authors discuss future developments and the immense benefits of analysing and understanding microbes one cell at a time, offering a glimpse into how this knowledge can transform microbial ecology, biomedicine, and biotechnology. The book is aimed at researchers and students of environmental microbiology who wish to expand their knowledge of this ground-breaking approach and the underlying technology.