Single-cell RNA sequencing demonstrates the intratumoral heterogeneity of papillary thyroid carcinoma

Abstract

Papillary thyroid carcinoma(PTC) is the most common thyroid malignancy, to investigate the intratumoral heterogeneity of PTC, we analyzed single-cell RNA-sequencing data and identified 10 major cell types from primary papillary thyroid carcinoma, lymph metastatic, or paired normal thyroid tissue samples. In this study, we verified that the increase in the proportion of CD4+Tregs may be key factor responsible for the immunosuppressive property of PTC. Inhibitory checkpoints, such as TIGIT and CD96 may be better targets for immune therapy in lymph metastatic papillary thyroid carcinoma. Our results will further the understanding of the heterogeneity among papillary thyroid carcinoma and provide an essential resource for drug discovery in the future.