Controlling for cellular heterogeneity using single-cell deconvolution of gene expression reveals novel markers of colorectal tumors exhibiting microsatellite instability.

ABSTRACT: Approximately 15% of colorectal cancer (CRC) cases present with high levels of microsatellite instability (MSI-H). Bulk RNA-sequencing approaches have been employed to elucidate transcriptional differences between MSI-H and microsatellite stable (MSS) CRC tumors. These approaches are frequently confounded by the complex cellular heterogeneity of tumors. We performed single-cell deconvolution of bulk RNA-sequencing on The Cancer Genome Atlas colon adenocarcinoma (TCGA-COAD) dataset. Cell composition within each dataset was estimated using CIBERSORTx. Cell composition differences were analyzed using linear regression. Significant differences in abundance were observed for 13 of 19 cell types between MSI-H and MSS/MSI-L tumors in TCGA-COAD. This included a novel finding of increased enteroend

SUBMITTER: Devall MAM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8057268 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature