Understanding initiation and progression of hepatocellular carcinoma through single cell sequencing.

Abstract

Unsatisfied clinical outcome drives to better understand hepatic carcinogenesis, microenvironment and escape of immune surveillance in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Single cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-Seq) has generated enormous data to pinpoint pathophysiologic alterations in tumor microenvironment (TME) or trace lineage development in cancer stem cells (CSCs), circulating tumor cells (CTCs), and subsets of immune cells, such as exhausting T cells, tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs), dendritic cells or other lineages. New insights have significantly advanced current understanding in progression, poor responses to molecular-targeted therapeutics or immune checkpoint inhibitors, metastasis in both basic research and clinical practice. The present review intends to cover a basic workflow of the scRNA-seq technology, existing limitations and improvement areas. Moreover, in-depth understanding in TME, exhausting T cells, CSCs, CTCs, tumor-associated macrophages, dendritic cells in HCC facilitates implementation of personalized and precise therapy in an era of availability with an array of systemic regimens.

• Authors: Xin-Yue Li, Yue Shen, Li Zhang, Xiao Guo, Jian Wu
• Journal: Biochimica et biophysica acta. Reviews on cancer (Biochim Biophys Acta Rev Cancer) Vol. 1877 Issue 3 Pg. 188720 (05 2022) ISSN: 1879-2561 [Electronic] Netherlands
• PMID: 35304295 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Review, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
• Copyright: Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Topics

• Carcinoma, Hepatocellular (pathology)
• Humans
• Liver Neoplasms (drug therapy)
• Macrophages
• Neoplastic Stem Cells (pathology)
• Tumor Microenvironment