Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is the most common type of kidney cancer in adults. When ccRCC is localized to the kidney, surgical resection or ablation of the tumor is often curative. However, in the metastatic setting, ccRCC remains a highly lethal disease. Here we use fresh patient samples that include treatment-naive primary tumor tissue, matched adjacent normal kidney tissue, as well as tumor samples collected from patients with bone metastases. Single-cell transcriptomic analysis of tumor cells from the primary tumors reveals a distinct transcriptional signature that is predictive of metastatic potential and patient survival. Analysis of supporting stromal cells within the tumor environment demonstrates vascular remodeling within the endothelial cells. An in silico cell-to-cell interaction analysis highlights the CXCL9/CXCL10-CXCR3 axis and the CD70-CD27 axis as potential therapeutic targets. Our findings provide biological insights into the interplay between tumor cells and the ccRCC microenvironment.
Nature communications. 2022 Sep 30*** epublish ***
Adele M Alchahin, Shenglin Mei, Ioanna Tsea, Taghreed Hirz, Youmna Kfoury, Douglas Dahl, Chin-Lee Wu, Alexander O Subtelny, Shulin Wu, David T Scadden, John H Shin, Philip J Saylor, David B Sykes, Peter V Kharchenko, Ninib Baryawno
Childhood Cancer Research unit, Department of Children's and Women's Health, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden., Department of Biomedical Informatics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA. ., Center for Regenerative Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA., Department of Urology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA., Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA., Department of Neurosurgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA., Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA., Department of Biomedical Informatics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA. ., Childhood Cancer Research unit, Department of Children's and Women's Health, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden. .