Landscape of T-cell exhaustion heterogeneity and HBV integration in virus-related HCC revealed by whole-exome, transcriptome, and single-cell sequencing.

ABSTRACT:

Background & aims

To enhance our understanding of the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), we investigated the heterogeneity of T-cell exhaustion and its association with HBV integrations and direct oncogenic potential in HCC.

Methods

We conducted a multi-omics analysis, including single-cell RNA sequencing, whole-exome sequencing, whole-transcriptome sequencing, and next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based HBV integration analysis, in eight patients with virus-related HCC. For validation, bulk RNA sequencing and NGS-based HBV integration analysis were performed in an independent cohort (n = 106).

Results

Based on the expression scores of exhaustion markers in effector CD8⁺ T cells, patients were classified into high (n = 2)

SUBMITTER: Lee SK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12529496 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature