Leveraging single-cell RNA-seq for uncovering naïve B cells associated with better prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a typical highly heterogeneous solid tumor with high morbidity and mortality worldwide, especially in China; however, the immune microenvironment of HCC has not been clarified so far. Here, we employed single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) on diethylnitrosamine (DEN)-induced mouse HCC model to dissect the immune cell dynamics during tumorigenesis. Our findings reveal distinct immune profiles in both precancerous and cancerous lesions, indicating early tumor-associated immunological alterations. Notably, specific T and B cell subpopulations are preferentially enriched in the HCC tumor microenvironment (TME). Furthermore, we identified a subpopulation of na & iuml;ve B cells with high CD83 expression, correlating with improved prognosis in human HCC. These signature genes were validated in The Cancer Genome Atlas HCC RNA-seq dataset. Moreover, cell interaction analysis revealed that subpopulations of B cells in both mouse and human samples are activated and may potentially contribute to oncogenic processes. In summary, our study provides insights into the dynamic immune microenvironment and cellular networks in HCC pathogenesis, with a specific emphasis on na & iuml;ve B cells. These findings emphasize the significance of targeting TME in HCC patients to prevent HCC pathological progression, which may give a new perspective on the therapeutics for HCC. The workflow of the study. scRNA-seq was performed on diethylnitrosamine (DEN)-induced mouse HCC model to characterize the changes in immune cell composition, lineages, and functional activities in TME during tumorigenesis. Then, the signature genes were mapped for specific cell subpopulations (e.g., na & iuml;ve B cells) to TCGA database for the HCC RNA-seq dataset. Finally cell interaction analysis was employed to reveal B cell activation in both mouse and human samples. image