Combined single-cell transcriptomics and T-cell receptor sequencing reveal heterogeneity of mycosis fungoides between and within patients and identify a CD4+ cytotoxic subtype

Comprehensive analysis of the malignant cells present in the skin lesions of Mycosis fungoides, the most common subtype of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, is complicated by the fact that malignant from reactive T cells are challenging to distinguish with certainty. To this end, combined single-cell RNA and TCR sequencing allows unambiguous identification of MF cells, thereby revealing a marked heterogeneity between and within patients with unexpected functional phenotypes. It should be further noted, that mRNA expression of established CTCL protein markers in single-cell transcriptomics to identify MF cells should be used with caution; however, our study uncovered an exciting gene expression pattern that serves as a beacon separating malignant from reactive T cells.

• Type: RNASeq
• Archiver: European Genome-Phenome Archive (EGA)