Landscape of T Cells in NK-AML(M4/M5) Revealed by Single-Cell Sequencing

J Leukoc Biol. 2022 Oct;112(4):745-758. doi: 10.1002/JLB.5A0721-396RR. Epub 2022 Mar 8.

Abstract

Normal karyotype acute myeloid leukemia (NK-AML) is a highly heterogeneous malignancy that resides within a complex immune microenvironment, complicating efforts to reveal the interaction between leukemia cells and immune cells. Understanding tumor-infiltrating T cells is crucial to the advancement of immune therapies and the improvement of the prognosis for NK-AML patients. We performed single-cell RNA sequencing on bone marrow cells from 5 NK-AML (M4/M5) patients and 1 normal donor and paired single-cell T cell receptor (TCR) sequencing on single T cells. As a result, we identified 8 T cell clusters based on the gene expression characteristics of each subset in NK-AML and described their developmental trajectories. In NK-AML patients, specific clusters, such as mucosal-associated invariant T cells (MAITs), were preferentially enriched and potentially clonally expanded. These transcriptome and TCR data analyses provide valuable insights and rich resources for understanding the immune environment of NK-AML.

Keywords: T cells; immune microenvironment; normal karyotype acute myeloid leukemia; single cell sequencing.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Bone Marrow Cells / pathology
  • Exome Sequencing
  • Humans
  • Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute*
  • Prognosis
  • Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell / genetics
  • Tumor Microenvironment

Substances

  • Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell