Cellular states are coupled to genomic and viral heterogeneity in HPV-related oropharyngeal carcinoma.

ABSTRACT: Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) includes a subset of cancers driven by human papillomavirus (HPV). Here we use single-cell RNA-seq to profile both HPV-positive and HPV-negative oropharyngeal tumors, uncovering a high level of cellular diversity within and between tumors. First, we detect diverse chromosomal aberrations within individual tumors, suggesting genomic instability and enabling the identification of malignant cells even at pathologically negative margins. Second, we uncover diversity with respect to HNSCC subtypes and other cellular states such as the cell cycle, senescence and epithelial-mesenchymal transitions. Third, we find heterogeneity in viral gene expression within HPV-positive tumors. HPV expression is lost or repressed in a subset of cells, which are assoc

SUBMITTER: Puram SV 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10191634 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature