UNVEILING CELLULAR DIVERSITY: A COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE TO CELL CLUSTERING METHODS

Abstract

The study of cellular diversity has becomeincreasingly critical in various fields of biology, including genomics, single-cell analysis, immunology, and cancer research. Cell clustering methods play a pivotal role in understanding andcharacterizing this diversity, enabling the identification of distinct cell populations within complex tissues andheterogeneous samples. This comprehensive guide aims to provide an overview of various cell clustering techniques,offering researchers a roadmap to navigate the intricacies of cellular heterogeneity analysis.In this guide, we begin byoutlining the importance of cell clustering in elucidating cellular heterogeneity and its implications for biologicalresearch. We then discuss the foundational principles behind cell clustering methods, covering the broad spectrum oftechniques, including traditional clustering algorithms, dimensionality reduction methods, and machine learningapproaches.The guide delves into the practical aspects of data preprocessing, feature selection, and quality control,all of which are crucial steps before embarking on cell clustering. We also examine the specific challenges andconsiderations when dealing with single-cell RNA-sequencing data, which has emerged as a cornerstone technology inthe study of cellular diversity.Throughout the guide, we emphasize the importance of selecting appropriate clusteringmethods based on the research objectives, data characteristics, and biological context. We discuss various validationstrategies and visualization toolsto assess the quality and interpretability of clustering results.