Transcriptome size matters for single-cell RNA-seq normalization and bulk deconvolution

Abstract The variation of transcriptome size across cell types significantly impacts single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data normalization and bulk RNA-seq cellular deconvolution, yet this intrinsic feature is often overlooked. Here we introduce ReDeconv, a computational algorithm that incorpora...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Songjian Lu, Jiyuan Yang, Lei Yan, Jingjing Liu, Judy Jiaru Wang, Rhea Jain, Jiyang Yu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-02-01
Series:Nature Communications
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-56623-1
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1832571556063084544
author Songjian Lu
Jiyuan Yang
Lei Yan
Jingjing Liu
Judy Jiaru Wang
Rhea Jain
Jiyang Yu
author_facet Songjian Lu
Jiyuan Yang
Lei Yan
Jingjing Liu
Judy Jiaru Wang
Rhea Jain
Jiyang Yu
author_sort Songjian Lu
collection DOAJ
description Abstract The variation of transcriptome size across cell types significantly impacts single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data normalization and bulk RNA-seq cellular deconvolution, yet this intrinsic feature is often overlooked. Here we introduce ReDeconv, a computational algorithm that incorporates transcriptome size into scRNA-seq normalization and bulk deconvolution. ReDeconv introduces a scRNA-seq normalization approach, Count based on Linearized Transcriptome Size (CLTS), which corrects differential expressed genes typically misidentified by standard count per 10 K normalization, as confirmed by orthogonal validations. By maintaining transcriptome size variation, CLTS-normalized scRNA-seq enhances the accuracy of bulk deconvolution. Additionally, ReDeconv mitigates gene length effects and models expression variances, thereby improving deconvolution outcomes, particularly for rare cell types. Evaluated with both synthetic and real datasets, ReDeconv surpasses existing methods in precision. ReDeconv alters the practice and provides a new standard for scRNA-seq analyses and bulk deconvolution. The software packages and a user-friendly web portal are available.
format Article
id doaj-art-f520ecec142447a7948b7f7ca6c6d94d
institution Kabale University
issn 2041-1723
language English
publishDate 2025-02-01
publisher Nature Portfolio
record_format Article
series Nature Communications
spelling doaj-art-f520ecec142447a7948b7f7ca6c6d94d2025-02-02T12:31:36ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232025-02-0116111710.1038/s41467-025-56623-1Transcriptome size matters for single-cell RNA-seq normalization and bulk deconvolutionSongjian Lu0Jiyuan Yang1Lei Yan2Jingjing Liu3Judy Jiaru Wang4Rhea Jain5Jiyang Yu6Department of Computational Biology, St. Jude Children’s Research HospitalDepartment of Computational Biology, St. Jude Children’s Research HospitalDepartment of Computational Biology, St. Jude Children’s Research HospitalDepartment of Computational Biology, St. Jude Children’s Research HospitalDepartment of Computational Biology, St. Jude Children’s Research HospitalDepartment of Computational Biology, St. Jude Children’s Research HospitalDepartment of Computational Biology, St. Jude Children’s Research HospitalAbstract The variation of transcriptome size across cell types significantly impacts single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data normalization and bulk RNA-seq cellular deconvolution, yet this intrinsic feature is often overlooked. Here we introduce ReDeconv, a computational algorithm that incorporates transcriptome size into scRNA-seq normalization and bulk deconvolution. ReDeconv introduces a scRNA-seq normalization approach, Count based on Linearized Transcriptome Size (CLTS), which corrects differential expressed genes typically misidentified by standard count per 10 K normalization, as confirmed by orthogonal validations. By maintaining transcriptome size variation, CLTS-normalized scRNA-seq enhances the accuracy of bulk deconvolution. Additionally, ReDeconv mitigates gene length effects and models expression variances, thereby improving deconvolution outcomes, particularly for rare cell types. Evaluated with both synthetic and real datasets, ReDeconv surpasses existing methods in precision. ReDeconv alters the practice and provides a new standard for scRNA-seq analyses and bulk deconvolution. The software packages and a user-friendly web portal are available.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-56623-1
spellingShingle Songjian Lu
Jiyuan Yang
Lei Yan
Jingjing Liu
Judy Jiaru Wang
Rhea Jain
Jiyang Yu
Transcriptome size matters for single-cell RNA-seq normalization and bulk deconvolution
Nature Communications
title Transcriptome size matters for single-cell RNA-seq normalization and bulk deconvolution
title_full Transcriptome size matters for single-cell RNA-seq normalization and bulk deconvolution
title_fullStr Transcriptome size matters for single-cell RNA-seq normalization and bulk deconvolution
title_full_unstemmed Transcriptome size matters for single-cell RNA-seq normalization and bulk deconvolution
title_short Transcriptome size matters for single-cell RNA-seq normalization and bulk deconvolution
title_sort transcriptome size matters for single cell rna seq normalization and bulk deconvolution
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-56623-1
work_keys_str_mv AT songjianlu transcriptomesizemattersforsinglecellrnaseqnormalizationandbulkdeconvolution
AT jiyuanyang transcriptomesizemattersforsinglecellrnaseqnormalizationandbulkdeconvolution
AT leiyan transcriptomesizemattersforsinglecellrnaseqnormalizationandbulkdeconvolution
AT jingjingliu transcriptomesizemattersforsinglecellrnaseqnormalizationandbulkdeconvolution
AT judyjiaruwang transcriptomesizemattersforsinglecellrnaseqnormalizationandbulkdeconvolution
AT rheajain transcriptomesizemattersforsinglecellrnaseqnormalizationandbulkdeconvolution
AT jiyangyu transcriptomesizemattersforsinglecellrnaseqnormalizationandbulkdeconvolution