Single-cell RNA Sequencing (scRNA-seq) of Laryngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma (LSCC) Tissues

Background: Laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) is a highly malignant tumor originated from respiratory system. Although there have been many improvements in therapy until now, reducing the high mortality is still difficult. Understanding the cellular heterogeneity of LSCC could contribute to improve this problem. Methods: Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) was applied to dissect the cell composition and molecular characteristics of LSCC tissues. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining of the LSCC tissues was performed to identify the spatial location of tumor cells. Survival analysis of marker genes was executed in TCGA to verify the correlation between each cell clusters and patients' prognosis. Results: The LSCC tissue cells were finely grouped into various clusters, including tumor cells, immune cells, epithelial cells, fibroblasts and endothelial cells. Notably, in tumor cells, keratinocyte-like cells were located in the core of tumor while malignant proliferating cells were located at the tumor edge. The malignant proliferating cells were correlated with poor prognosis. Conclusion: In summary, this is the first study to delineate a landscape of the LSCC intra-tumor heterogeneity. Our work might help researchers have a better understanding for tumor progression. Laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) tissues of a 66-year-old male patient and a 64-year-old male patient.