Single-cell transcriptomic analysis uncovers intratumoral heterogeneity and drug-tolerant persister in ALK-rearranged lung adenocarcinoma
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ABSTRACT: Acquired drug resistance is the major therapeutic obstacle to maintenance treatment of advanced-stage non-small cell lung cancer. Lung adenocarcinoma (ADC) harboring driver mutations also showed poor response to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). Underlying mechanisms of how drug insensitivity evolves remain unclear. Here we explored the intratumoral heterogeneity of tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI)-resistant anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-rearranged lung ADC organoids using single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) transcriptomic analysis. IL-17 signaling pathway was found highly induced in a subpopulation of pre-existing ALK-TKI-resistant cells. These drug-tolerant persister (DTP) cells, also found to have high surface intracellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1) expression level, were more resistant towards ALK-TKI and expressed a higher level of cancer-stem cell transcriptional factors. Moreover, tumor cells with high ICAM-1 expression were found spatially correlated with RORɣt+ Th17 infiltration in ALK-rearranged NSCLC resected tumor tissues. In conclusion, our data revealed marked intratumoral heterogeneity in ALK-rearranged tumor, and pre-existing DTP cells may contribute to the development of drug insensitivity in ALK-rearranged lung ADC.
ORGANISM(S): Homo sapiens
PROVIDER: GSE223779 | GEO | 2023/08/09
REPOSITORIES: GEO
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