Association of CCL21+ CAFs with B-cell recruitment and TLS maturation in penile squamous cell carcinoma - PubMed
6 hours ago
- #Cancer-associated fibroblasts
- #Tertiary lymphoid structures
- #Penile cancer
- Penile squamous cell carcinoma (PSCC) is an aggressive malignancy with poor prognosis and limited treatment options.
- Tertiary lymphoid structures (TLSs) support antitumour immunity, but their maturation and stromal determinants in PSCC are unclear.
- Study used H&E staining, mIHC, spatial transcriptomics, scRNA-seq, and bulk RNA-seq to analyze TLS maturity and associated stromal-immune features in PSCC.
- Mature TLSs (mTLSs) correlated with improved survival and were identified using a germinal centre-like signature.
- CCL21+ cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) were enriched in mTLSs, spatially concentrated near B-cell-rich areas.
- The CCL21-CCR7 axis was linked to B-cell chemotaxis, activation, and germinal centre-like features.
- Higher CCL21 expression, CCL21+ CAF signature scores, and CCL21-CCR7 signatures in B cells were associated with better outcomes.
- CCL21+ CAFs or CCL21 may serve as prognostic biomarkers and potential therapeutic targets for TLS modulation in PSCC.