Unraveling the enigma of B cells in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma: unveiling cancer stem cell-like B cell subpopulation at single-cell resolution

• DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1310292
• Publication Date: 2023-12-11T04:28:05Z
• Authors: Fengling Liu; Jie Zheng; Gaohui Yang; Lin Pan; Yanni Xie; Siyu Chen; Jinwei Tuo; Jinxia Su; Xiuyi Ou; Rongrong Liu
• Keywords: Stem cell marker

Background Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) represents the most prevalent form of aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Despite receiving standard treatment, a subset patients undergoes refractory or recurrent cases, wherein involvement cancer stem cells (CSCs) could be significant. Methods We comprehensively characterized B cell subpopulations using single-cell RNA sequencing data from three DLBCL samples and one normal lymph tissue. The CopyKat R package was employed to assess malignancy based on chromosomal copy number variations. CIBERSORTx software utilized estimate proportions in 230 tissues. Furthermore, we pySCENIC identify key transcription factors that regulate functionality subpopulations. By employing CellphoneDB, elucidated interplay among tumor microenvironment components within Finally, validated our findings through immunofluorescence experiments. Results Our analysis revealed specific cell-like subpopulation exhibiting self-renewal multilineage differentiation capabilities exploration tissues at level. Notably, high infiltration correlated with poor prognosis, potentially due immune evasion mediated by low expression major histocompatibility complex molecules. identified factor regulatory networks regulated HMGB3 , SAP30 E2F8 which likely played crucial roles functional characterization subpopulation. existence immunofluorescent staining. communication between tumor-infiltrating T subgroups provided further insights into Conclusions research provides systematic description associated prognosis DLBCL. This study enhances understanding CSCs identifies potential therapeutic targets for patients.