Identifying T-cell clubs by embracing the local harmony between TCR and gene expressions

Abstract T cell receptors (TCR) and gene expression provide two complementary and essential aspects in T cell understanding, yet their diversity presents challenges in integrative analysis. We introduce TCRclub, a novel method integrating single-cell RNA sequencing data and single-cell TCR sequencin...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Yiping Zou, Jiaqi Luo, Lingxi Chen, Xueying Wang, Wei Liu, Ruo Han Wang, Shuai Cheng Li
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Springer Nature 2024-11-01
Series:Molecular Systems Biology
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s44320-024-00070-5
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Summary:Abstract T cell receptors (TCR) and gene expression provide two complementary and essential aspects in T cell understanding, yet their diversity presents challenges in integrative analysis. We introduce TCRclub, a novel method integrating single-cell RNA sequencing data and single-cell TCR sequencing data using local harmony to identify functionally similar T cell groups, termed ‘clubs’. We applied TCRclub to 298,106 T cells across seven datasets encompassing various diseases. First, TCRclub outperforms the state-of-the-art methods in clustering T cells on a dataset with over 400 verified peptide-major histocompatibility complex categories. Second, TCRclub reveals a transition from activated to exhausted T cells in cholangiocarcinoma patients. Third, TCRclub discovered the pathways that could intervene in response to anti-PD-1 therapy for patients with basal cell carcinoma by analyzing the pre-treatment and post-treatment samples. Furthermore, TCRclub unveiled different T-cell responses and gene patterns at different severity levels in patients with COVID-19. Hence, TCRclub aids in developing more effective immunotherapeutic strategies for cancer and infectious diseases.
ISSN:1744-4292