Fetit, Rana and McLaren, Alistair S. and White, Mark and Mills, Megan L. and Falconer, John and Cortes-Lavaud, Xabier and Gilroy, Kathryn and Lannagan, Tamsin R.M. and Ridgway, Rachel A. and Nixon, Colin and Naiker, Varushka and Njunge, Renee and Clarke, Cassie and Whyte, Declan and Kirschner, Kristina and Jackstadt, Rene and Norman, Jim and Carlin, Leo M. and Campbell, Andrew D. and Sansom, Owen J. and Steele, Colin W. (2024) Characterising neutrophil subtypes in cancer using scRNA sequencing demonstrates the importance of IL-1β/CXCR2 axis in generation of metastasis specific neutrophils. Cancer Research Communications, 4 (2). pp. 588-606. ISSN 2767-9764
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We identified two main neutrophil subtypes in primary tumors: an activated subtype sharing transcriptomic signatures of healthy neutrophils and a tumor-specific subtype. The IL1CXCL8CXCR2 axis drives the progression of neutrophils from health to cancer and metastasis, with effects on T-cell effector function.AI Topics:
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Neutrophils are a highly heterogeneous cellular population. However, a thorough examination of the different transcriptional neutrophil states between health and malignancy has not been performed. We utilized single-cell RNA sequencing of human and murine datasets, both publicly available and independently generated, to identify neutrophil transcriptomic subtypes and developmental lineages in health and malignancy. Datasets of lung, breast, and colorectal cancer were integrated to establish and validate neutrophil gene signatures. Pseudotime analysis was used to identify genes driving neutrophil development from health to cancer. Finally, ligand–receptor interactions and signaling pathways between neutrophils and other immune cell populations in primary colorectal cancer and metastatic colorectal cancer were investigated. We define two main neutrophil subtypes in primary tumors: an activated subtype sharing the transcriptomic signatures of healthy neutrophils; and a tumor-specific subtype. This signature is conserved in murine and human cancer, across different tumor types. In colorectal cancer metastases, neutrophils are more heterogeneous, exhibiting additional transcriptomic subtypes. Pseudotime analysis implicates IL1β/CXCL8/CXCR2 axis in the progression of neutrophils from health to cancer and metastasis, with effects on T-cell effector function. Functional analysis of neutrophil-tumoroid cocultures and T-cell proliferation assays using orthotopic metastatic mouse models lacking Cxcr2 in neutrophils support our transcriptional analysis. We propose that the emergence of metastatic-specific neutrophil subtypes is driven by the IL1β/CXCL8/CXCR2 axis, with the evolution of different transcriptomic signals that impair T-cell function at the metastatic site. Thus, a better understanding of neutrophil transcriptomic programming could optimize immunotherapeutic interventions into early and late interventions, targeting different neutrophil states.
Title | Characterising neutrophil subtypes in cancer using scRNA sequencing demonstrates the importance of IL-1β/CXCR2 axis in generation of metastasis specific neutrophils |
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Creators | Fetit, Rana and McLaren, Alistair S. and White, Mark and Mills, Megan L. and Falconer, John and Cortes-Lavaud, Xabier and Gilroy, Kathryn and Lannagan, Tamsin R.M. and Ridgway, Rachel A. and Nixon, Colin and Naiker, Varushka and Njunge, Renee and Clarke, Cassie and Whyte, Declan and Kirschner, Kristina and Jackstadt, Rene and Norman, Jim and Carlin, Leo M. and Campbell, Andrew D. and Sansom, Owen J. and Steele, Colin W. |
Identification Number | 10.1158/2767-9764.CRC-23-0319 |
Date | February 2024 |
Divisions | College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Cancer Sciences |
Publisher | American Association for Cancer Research |
Additional Information | The authors would like to acknowledge and thank the McNab family for generous financial support for this project and the CRUK Scotland Institute's Histology Facility. R. Fetit and C.W. Steele are funded by a UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship (grant no. MR/W007851/1). M. White is funded by the CRUK Clinical Academic Training Programme (grant no. A29706). K. Kirschner is funded by Blood Cancer UK (grant no. 23001), MRC (grant no. MR/W000148/1) and an AMS Springboard Award (#SBF005\1133). A.S. McLaren is funded by CRUK TRACC clinical fellowship (grant no. SEBSTF-2021\100009). J. Falconer is funded by the McNab endowment to the CRUK Scotland Institute and UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship (#MR/W007851/1). M.L. Mills, C.J. Clarke, D. Whyte, X. Cortes-Lavaud, K. Gilroy, T.R.M. Lannagan, R.A. Ridgway, C. Nixon, R. Jackstadt, J. Norman, L.M. Carlin, A.D. Campbell, and O.J. Sansom are funded by CRUK core funding to the CRUK Scotland Institute (A31287), M.L. Mills, X. Cortes-Lavaud, K. Gilroy, T.R.M. Lannagan, R.A. Ridgway, R. Jackstadt, A.D. Campbell, and O.J. Sansom are funded by CRUK Senior Group Leader Programme (A21139 and DRCQQR-May21\100002), C.J. Clarke, D. Whyte, and J. Norman are funded by funded by CRUK Senior Group Leader Programme (A28291) and L.M. Carlin is funded by CRUK Junior Group Leader Programme (A23983). T.R.M. Lannagan, A.D. Campbell, and O.J. Sansom are funded by International Accelerator Award, ACRCelerate, jointly funded by Cancer Research UK (A26825 and A28223), FC AECC (GEACC18004TAB) and AIRC (22795). |
URI | https://pub.demo35.eprints-hosting.org/id/eprint/370 |
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Item Type | Article |
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Depositing User | Unnamed user with email ejo1f20@soton.ac.uk |
Date Deposited | 11 Jun 2025 16:37 |
Revision | 66 |
Last Modified | 12 Jun 2025 10:27 |
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