Single-cell multi-omics analysis provides an in-depth analysis of the tumor microenvironment of pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one

Recently, researchers at Washington University in St.

They published the results in the journal Nature Genetics, showing that the presence of certain cell subsets means that it is possible to break down the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment

During the analysis, the researchers took 73 PDAC samples and adjacent normal tissue samples from 21 patients

All 73 samples were sequenced for single-cell RNA, of which 64 samples were also sequenced by whole exome and 65 samples were sequenced

Using gene expression profiling, the researchers clustered the samples and used gene expression of markers to identify cell subsets

They paid particular attention to cells that express acinar markers, as one theory suggests that pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma originates from acinar cells that undergo acinar-duct metaplasia (ADM

At the same time, the research team also analyzed cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAF) within tumor samples, because the specific role of CAF is not clear, and they have both the activity

For example, they found that in patient samples treated, inflammation-related iCAF levels were higher, while in patient samples treated with gemcitabine combined with albumin paclitaxel, the metallothionein gene in iCAF was upregulated, which was associated

In addition, the researchers analyzed why immune checkpoint blocking therapy was not suitable for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma

"Our study provides insight into complex substructures within pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma tumors, which may help improve treatment for patients," the authors wrote

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Cui Zhou, D.