Identification of Chemokine‐Related Genes Derived From T and NK Cells in the Tumour Microenvironment of Ovarian Cancer Based on scRNA‐Seq

ABSTRACT

Ovarian cancer (OC) is characterised by high malignancy. Tumour immune microenvironment (TME) may serve as a breakthrough for therapy. Chemokines are responsible for the recruitment of diverse immune cells in TME. We identify the association between chemokines and T and NK cells. This study was conducted to screen the chemokine derived from T and NK cells in OC single‐cell RNA sequencing (scRNA‐seq) dataset was acquired from the GEO database. Total 64 genes were collected. The intersection of marker genes of T and NK cells and chemokine‐related genes was considered as key chemokine‐related genes. Then, cell‐cell communication analysis, pseudotime analysis and transcription factors (TFs)–target genes regulatory network construction, were performed. Immunohistochemical staining experiments and wound healing assays are performed. The results found 21 distinct cell subgroups and 8 core cell types. Total 667 and 611 marker genes were identified in T and NK cells, respectively. Eight key chemokine‐related genes were found. Also, 49 TFs‐related to cell subtypes were obtained, and the TFs with the highest activation degree was SPI1. Eight key chemokine‐related genes were mainly distributed in T cells, NK cells and monocyte cells. The pseudotime trajectory shown that key chemokine‐related genes were highly expressed in T and NK cells in the later stage of differentiation. CCL5 exhibits differences in ovarian malignant tumour tissues compared with normal ovarian tissues. These findings provide novel insights for subsequent exploration in OC.