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Immune suppressive landscape in a human esophageal squamous cell carcinoma microenvironment

ABSTRACT: Properly applying current immunotherapies or developing novel therapeutic strategies relies on a comprehensive understanding of the immune elements of the tumor microenvironment (TME). In this study, we aim to map at single-cell resolution the immune landscape of esophagus squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), a common, aggressive, but understudied cancer of the gastrointestinal tract. We obtained a detailed immune cell atlas of the ESCC-associated transcriptome from a total of 80,787 tumor-infiltrating immune cells. Significant intertumoral heterogeneity was found among individual ESSC tumors. Exhausted T cells, exhausted NK cells, regulatory T cells, alternatively activated macrophages, and tolerogenic dendritic cells were discovered as the dominant portions of the immune cells in the TME. Dysfunctional T cells were the major proliferative cell compartment among tumor-infiltrating immune cells. In addition, strong potential interactions of immune cells in tumors may contribute to the immunosuppressive status and the progress of tumor development; a six-gene signature, comprising IFNGR1, IFNGR2, IDO1, IL10, CD163, and CD274, were associated with ESCC survival. Our results provided a comprehensive characterization of tumor-infiltrating immune cells in ESCC, indicating that immunosuppression of various kinds was synchronously responsible for the failure of immunosurveillance in ESCC. Specifically targeting the immunosuppressive pathways could reverse the immune-suppressive status and reactivate anti-tumor immune responses in ESCC.

ORGANISM(S): Homo sapiens

PROVIDER: GSE145370 | GEO | 2020/10/19

REPOSITORIES: GEO

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Immune suppressive landscape in a human esophageal squamous cell carcinoma microenvironment

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