Abstract
Esophageal squamous-cell carcinoma (ESCC), one of the most prevalent and lethal malignant disease, has a complex but unknown tumor ecosystem. Here, we investigate the composition of ESCC tumors based on 208,659 single-cell transcriptomes derived from 60 individuals. We identify 8 common expression programs from malignant epithelial cells and discover 42 cell types, including 26 immune cell and 16 nonimmune stromal cell subtypes in the tumor microenvironment (TME), and analyse the interactions between cancer cells and other cells and the interactions among different cell types in the TME. Moreover, we link the cancer cell transcriptomes to the somatic mutations and identify several markers significantly associated with patients' survival, which may be relevant to precision care of ESCC patients. These results reveal the immunosuppressive status in the ESCC TME and further our understanding of ESCC.
© 2021. The Author(s).
Publication types
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Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
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Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
MeSH terms
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Adult
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Aged
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B-Lymphocytes / immunology
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B-Lymphocytes / pathology
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Epithelial Cells / immunology
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Epithelial Cells / pathology
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Esophageal Neoplasms / genetics*
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Esophageal Neoplasms / immunology
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Esophageal Neoplasms / mortality
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Esophageal Neoplasms / pathology
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Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma / genetics*
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Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma / immunology
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Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma / mortality
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Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma / pathology
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Female
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Fibroblasts / immunology
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Fibroblasts / pathology
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Gene Expression Profiling
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Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic
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Humans
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Male
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Middle Aged
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Myeloid Cells / immunology
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Myeloid Cells / pathology
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Neoplasm Proteins / classification
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Neoplasm Proteins / genetics*
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Neoplasm Proteins / immunology
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Prognosis
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Single-Cell Analysis
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Stromal Cells / immunology*
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Stromal Cells / pathology
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Survival Analysis
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T-Lymphocytes / immunology
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T-Lymphocytes / pathology
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Transcription, Genetic*
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Tumor Microenvironment / genetics
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Tumor Microenvironment / immunology
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Whole Genome Sequencing