HLA-DR⁺ Tumor Cells Show an Association with a Distinct Immune Microenvironment and CD8⁺ T-Cell Exhaustion in HBV-Associated Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

ABSTRACT: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide, with hepatitis B virus (HBV) as a major driver. Despite the pivotal role of viral infections in shaping the tumor microenvironment (TME), the mechanistic differences among HBV-, hepatitis C virus (HCV)-, and non-B non-C (NBNC)-associated HCC remain poorly understood. By integrating the largest publicly available single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) dataset of HCC (160 samples from 124 patients) with multi-scale protein-level validation using multiplex immunofluorescence and tissue microarrays (198 HCC specimens), HLA-DR⁺ tumor cells are identified as a distinctive feature of HBV⁺HCC. These tumor cells uniquely express MHC class II molecules, typically restricted to antigen-presenting cells, a

SUBMITTER: Chang JQ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12376660 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature