Single cell transcriptome signature of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) at different stages along with tumor development

HCC possesses a highly heterogeneous tumor micro-environment with dynamic populations and interaction along tumor progression. We used single cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) to analyze cell composition and features of HCC. A subgroup of tumor-associated macrophages characterized with distinctive metabolic activity was identified. We further excavated its functional phenotype as well as interaction with other components and investigated the underlying molecular mechanism. Liver dissection of the gene-induced HCC models at four different timepoints including 0 week (HCC-NL), 4 week (HCC-ES), 8 week (HCC-MS), and 12 week (HCC-LS) along tumor development were conducted and prepared into single-cell suspensions and analyzed using scRNAseq.