Therapeutic implementation of single-cell sequencing for dissecting colorectal cancer immune microenvironment

Abstract

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a highly prevalent malignancy in the digestive system around the globe that is characterized by intricate pathogenesis, progression and poor prognosis. Recent studies indicate that tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) is a crucial mediator of tumorigenesis and progression with substantial diagnostic and prognostic value, which is a complex network of malignant cells, immune cells, endothelial cells, extracellular matrix, interstitial components and various molecular factors. Therefore, comprehensive profiling of CRC-associated TIME may substantially contribute to the research on CRC pathology while accelerating pharmaceutical development for effective CRC immunotherapy. However, CRC tissues tend to exhibit high cell heterogeneity, which severely compromises the accuracy of the TIME profiling data acquired through conventional sequencing methods as they are incapable of discriminating different cell populations. Single-cell sequencing (SCS) is a novel sequencing technology capable of comprehensively characterizating individual cells at a high resolution, thereby preserving heterogeneous tissue information and the transcriptional data of rare cell populations. SCS technology-enabled profiling of CRC-associated TIME offers emerging opportunities for elucidating the pathogenesis and progression mechanisms of CRC. This work provides a comprehensive summary on the unique merits and potential breakthroughs of SCS technology in the context of CRC-associated TIME characterization, which may facilitate the development and optimization of intervention strategies for CRC in the clinics.