Pan-cancer single-cell atlases of mouse and human tumor-associated dendritic cells

Dendritic cells (DCs) are critical inducers of anti-tumor immunity. To achieve a comprehensive mapping of mouse and human DC subsets and states in a cancer context, here we generate pan-cancer mouse and human tumor-associated DC (TADC) scRNA-seq atlases, encompassing 14 mouse tumor models and 10 human cancer types, within which we identify several lineage-defined DC subsets along with maturation/functional states. We show that TADCs acquire an inflammatory profile with tumor progression and that tumor-mediated reprogramming occurs within the DCs from lymph nodes of tumor-bearing mice. Importantly, we demonstrate that TADCs are broadly conserved between mice and humans, although species-specific differences may exist in some subsets and states. Moreover, we present a comprehensive assessment of how different human TADC clusters associate with patient survival outcomes. Overall, we provide an in-depth characterization of the TADC compartment in mouse and human cancers, which can improve our understanding of the tumor microenvironment and contribute to the development of new anti-cancer therapies. Multiple lineages and functional states of tumor-associated dendritic cells (TADCs), as essential inducers of anti-tumor immunity, have been reported. Here, the authors have generated single-cell RNA sequencing atlases of pan-cancer mouse and human TADCs, illustrating heterogeneity and evolution of dendritic cells with tumor progression.

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Publication Details

Journal
Nature Communications
Published
2026-05-30
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-73721-w
Primary Topic
Single-cell and spatial transcriptomics
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Pan-cancer single-cell atlases of mouse and human tumor-associated dendritic cells

Kevin Verstaen, Niels Vandamme, Éva Hadadi, Luqing Li et al.
Nature Communications
Single-cell and spatial transcriptomics
article

Pan-cancer single-cell atlases of mouse and human tumor-associated dendritic cells

Kevin Verstaen, Niels Vandamme, Éva Hadadi, Luqing Li, Pierre Close, Michele De Palma, Sofie Deschoemaeker, Yvon Elkrim, Clint De Nolf, Sophie Janssens, Daliya Kancheva, Damya Laoui, Bram Boeckx, Arnaud Blomme, Nil Figueras-Duch, Aarushi A. Caro, Lobna Oueslati, An Coosemans, Diether Lambrechts, Pauline M. R. Bardet
article en

Abstract

Dendritic cells (DCs) are critical inducers of anti-tumor immunity. To achieve a comprehensive mapping of mouse and human DC subsets and states in a cancer context, here we generate pan-cancer mouse and human tumor-associated DC (TADC) scRNA-seq atlases, encompassing 14 mouse tumor models and 10 human cancer types, within which we identify several lineage-defined DC subsets along with maturation/functional states. We show that TADCs acquire an inflammatory profile with tumor progression and that tumor-mediated reprogramming occurs within the DCs from lymph nodes of tumor-bearing mice. Importantly, we demonstrate that TADCs are broadly conserved between mice and humans, although species-specific differences may exist in some subsets and states. Moreover, we present a comprehensive assessment of how different human TADC clusters associate with patient survival outcomes. Overall, we provide an in-depth characterization of the TADC compartment in mouse and human cancers, which can improve our understanding of the tumor microenvironment and contribute to the development of new anti-cancer therapies. Multiple lineages and functional states of tumor-associated dendritic cells (TADCs), as essential inducers of anti-tumor immunity, have been reported. Here, the authors have generated single-cell RNA sequencing atlases of pan-cancer mouse and human TADCs, illustrating heterogeneity and evolution of dendritic cells with tumor progression.

Nature Communications
Vrije Universiteit Brussel (BE), University of Liège (BE), Rega Institute for Medical Research (BE), Ghent University Hospital (BE), Ghent University (BE), VIB-KU Leuven Center for Cancer Biology (BE), VIB-KU Leuven Center for Microbiology (BE), VIB-UGent Center for Inflammation Research (BE), Walloon Excellence in Lifesciences and Biotechnology (BE), Swiss Cancer Center Léman (CH), École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (CH), KU Leuven (BE)
Vlaams Supercomputer Centrum, Fonds De La Recherche Scientifique - FNRS, Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek, KU Leuven, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Stichting Tegen Kanker, Kom op tegen Kanker, Vlaamse regering
Good health and well-being
Openalex Percentile: Top 8%
Single-cell and spatial transcriptomics
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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