Global immune characterization of HBV/HCV-related hepatocellular carcinoma identifies macrophage and T-cell subsets associated with disease progression.

ABSTRACT: Diverse immune cells in the tumor microenvironment form a complex ecosystem, but our knowledge of their heterogeneity and dynamics within hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) still remains limited. To assess the plasticity and phenotypes of immune cells within HBV/HCV-related HCC microenvironment at single-cell level, we performed single-cell RNA sequencing on 41,698 immune cells from seven pairs of HBV/HCV-related HCC tumors and non-tumor liver tissues. We combined bio-informatic analyses, flow cytometry, and multiplex immunohistochemistry to assess the heterogeneity of different immune cell subsets in functional characteristics, transcriptional regulation, phenotypic switching, and interactions. We identified 29 immune cell subsets of myeloid cells, NK cells, and lymphocytes with unique transc

SUBMITTER: Song G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7721904 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature