Cells as Single-Molecule Protein Proximity Networks

Abstract

Cellular functions depend on dynamic interactions of proteins and their spatial organisation. While transcriptomic and proteomic methods of molecular parts-lists have enabled single-cell profiling based on abundance, scalable technologies allowing high-resolution measurements of protein organization and interactions at scale are lacking. Here we present the Proximity Network Assay (PNA), a DNA-based method for constructing three-dimensional nanoscale maps of 155 plasma membrane proteins in single cells without the use of optics. PNA employs barcoded antibodies and in situ rolling circle amplification to generate >40,000 spatial nodes per cell, which are linked through proximity-dependent gap-fill ligation and decoded by DNA sequencing forming single cell Proximity Networks. PNA captures abundance, self-clustering, and [~]12,000 pairwise colocalization relationships per single-cell, validating established protein interactions. This new modality provides a framework to uncover novel spatial biomarkers, reveal functional mechanisms, and advance translational studies in immunology, oncology, and cell therapy.