Open AccessColorectal Cancer Stem Cell States Uncovered by Simultaneous Single‐Cell Analysis of Transcriptome and Telomeres
Author(s) -
Wang Hua,
Gong Peng,
Chen Tong,
Gao Shan,
Wu Zhenfeng,
Wang Xiaodong,
Li Jie,
Marjani Sadie L.,
Costa José,
Weissman Sherman M.,
Qi Feng,
Pan Xinghua,
Liu Lin
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
advanced science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.388
H-Index - 100
ISSN - 2198-3844
DOI - 10.1002/advs.202004320
Subject(s) - transcriptome , cancer stem cell , telomere , biology , wnt signaling pathway , cancer , colorectal cancer , cancer cell , cancer research , stem cell , genetics , gene , gene expression
Cancer stem cells (CSCs) presumably contribute to tumor progression and drug resistance, yet their definitive features have remained elusive. Here, simultaneous measurement of telomere length and transcriptome in the same cells enables systematic assessment of CSCs in primary colorectal cancer (CRC). The in‐depth transcriptome profiled by SMART‐seq2 is independently validated by high‐throughput scRNA‐seq using 10 × Genomics. It is found that rare CSCs exist in dormant state and display plasticity toward cancer epithelial cells (EPCs) that essentially are presumptive tumor‐initiating cells (TICs), while both retaining the prominent signaling pathways including WNT, TGF‐ β , and HIPPO/YAP. Moreover, CSCs exhibit chromosome copy number variation (CNV) pattern resembling cancer EPCs but distinct from normal stem cells, suggesting the phylogenetic relationship between CSCs and cancer EPCs. Notably, CSCs maintain shorter telomeres and possess minimal telomerase activity consistent with their nonproliferative nature, unlike cancer EPCs. Additionally, the specific signature of CSCs particularly NOTUM , SMOC2 , BAMBI , PHLDA1 , and TNFRSF19 correlates with the prognosis of CRC. These findings characterize the heterogeneity of CSCs and their linkage to cancer EPCs/TICs, some of which are conventionally regarded as CSCs.