Single-cell transcriptomic landscape reveals tumor specific innate lymphoid cells associated with colorectal cancer progression

Cell Rep Med. 2021 Jul 27;2(8):100353. doi: 10.1016/j.xcrm.2021.100353. eCollection 2021 Aug 17.

Abstract

Innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) are tissue-resident lymphocytes differing from conventional T lymphocytes in having no antigen-specific receptors. ILCs include natural killer (NK) cells, helper-like ILC1s, ILC2s, and ILC3s, and lymphoid tissue-inducer (LTi) cells. Tumor ILCs are frequently found in various cancers, but their roles in cancer immunity and immunotherapy remain largely unclear. We report here the single-cell characterization of blood and gut helper-like ILC subsets in healthy conditions and in colorectal cancer (CRC). The healthy gut contains ILC1s, ILC3s, and ILC3/NKs, but no ILC2s. Additional tumor-specific ILC1-like and ILC2 subsets were identified in CRC patients. Signaling lymphocytic activation molecule family member 1 (SLAMF1) was found to be selectively expressed on tumor-specific ILCs, and higher levels of SLAMF1+ ILCs were observed in the blood of CRC patients. The SLAMF1-high group of CRC patients had a significantly higher survival rate than the SLAMF1-low group, suggesting that SLAMF1 is an anti-tumor biomarker in CRC.

Keywords: ILC heterogeneity; ILC1s; ILC2s; SLAMF1; TIGIT; biomarker; blood; colrectal cancer; inate lymphoid cells; single-cell RNA sequencing.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Biomarkers, Tumor / metabolism
  • Colorectal Neoplasms / genetics*
  • Colorectal Neoplasms / immunology*
  • Colorectal Neoplasms / pathology
  • Disease Progression*
  • Gene Expression Profiling
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic
  • Humans
  • Immunity, Innate* / genetics
  • Intestines / immunology
  • Lymphocyte Subsets / immunology
  • Lymphocytes / immunology*
  • Signaling Lymphocytic Activation Molecule Family Member 1 / metabolism
  • Single-Cell Analysis*
  • Transcriptome* / genetics

Substances

  • Biomarkers, Tumor
  • SLAMF1 protein, human
  • Signaling Lymphocytic Activation Molecule Family Member 1