Single cell RNA-seq profiling of patient-derived Merkel cell carcinoma tumor samples

Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC), a rare but aggressive neuroendocrine cancer of the skin, remains a challenge in the era of precision medicine. MCC tumor heterogeneity has been attributed to the variant disease etiologies, mediated by either UV exposure or Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV). However, over the years it has become clear that these two groups are largely similar in clinical presentation, prognosis, and treatment response to immune-checkpoint inhibitors. We therefore dissected the transcriptomic heterogeneity of a panel of patient tumors samples, at the single-cell resolution, to gather further insights. Resected patient tumors were dissociated and cleared of any red blood cells to obtain a single-cell suspension. Live cells were thereafter sorted by flow cytometry and used for preparing libraries. Each library was then sequenced and the resulting single cell transcriptomic data was analyzed.