Significance of intratumoral infiltration of B cells in cancer immunotherapy: From a single cell perspective

Abstract

Immunotherapy for cancer has provided new treatment approaches for malignant tumors, but there are low rates of response and high rates of resistance. The most recent sequencing method which is called single-cell RNA sequencing(scRNA-seq) determines the transcriptome at the single cell level, which allows high-resolution dynamic monitoring of the tumor microenvironment (TME) during immunotherapy. As an important part of humoral immunity, tumor-infiltrated B cells have been reported to have distinct functions in anti-tumor immunity, which are characterized by their RNA transcriptome, membrane surface receptors, and immunoglobulin secretion, suggesting great immunotherapeutic effects. On the basis of the important roles of B cells in immunotherapy reported in recent publications, we discuss the tumor-infiltrated B cells' subpopulations, differentiation trajectory, and interactions with other cells in the TME in this review, hoping to illustrate its significance in potential clinical application as biomarkers and therapeutic targets.

Keywords: Immunotherapy; Single cell RNA sequencing; Tertiary lymphoid structure; Tumor infiltrated B cells.