Leveraging single-cell transcriptomic data to uncover immune suppressive cancer cell subsets in triple-negative canine breast cancers

Myung Chul Kim, Nicholas Borcherding, Woo Jin Song, Ryan Kolb, Weizhou Zhang

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Introduction: Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) has become an essential tool for uncovering the complexities of various physiological and immunopathological conditions in veterinary medicine. However, there is currently limited information on immune-suppressive cancer subsets in canine breast cancers. In this study, we aimed to identify and characterize immune-suppressive subsets of triple-negative canine breast cancer (TNBC) by utilizing integrated scRNA-seq data from published datasets. Methods: Published scRNA-seq datasets, including data from six groups of 30 dogs, were subjected to integrated bioinformatic analysis. Results: Immune modulatory TNBC subsets were identified through functional enrichment analysis using immune-suppressive gene sets, including those associated with anti-inflammatory and M2-like macrophages. Key immune-suppressive signaling, such as viral infection, angiogenesis, and leukocyte chemotaxis, was found to play a role in enabling TNBC to evade immune surveillance. In addition, interactome analysis revealed significant interactions between distinct subsets of cancer cells and effector T cells, suggesting potential T-cell suppression. Discussion: The present study demonstrates a versatile and scalable approach to integrating and analyzing scRNA-seq data, which successfully identified immune-modulatory subsets of canine TNBC. It also revealed potential mechanisms through which TNBC promotes immune evasion in dogs. These findings are crucial for advancing the understanding of the immune pathogenesis of canine TNBC and may aid in the development of new immune-based therapeutic strategies.

Original languageEnglish
Article number1434617
JournalFrontiers in Veterinary Science
Volume11
DOIs
StatePublished - 2024

Keywords

  • dog
  • immune checkpoint genes
  • interactome
  • scRNA-seq
  • triple-negative breast cancer

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