Abstract 1152: Pan-cancer single-cell and subcellular characterization of lymphoid aggregates and tertiary lymphoid structures using high-plex spatial molecular imaging
Authors: Liu Yunhe , Zhang Yuanyuan , Han Guangchun , Pei Guangsheng , Cho Kyung Serk , Dai Enyu , Chu Yanshuo , Jiang Jiahui , Sinjab Ansam , Soto Luisa M. , Serrano Alejandra , Gao Jianjun , Kadara Humam , Fridman Catherine , Fridman Wolf Herve , Wang Linghua 
Published: March 2024

Tertiary lymphoid structures (TLSs), clusters of immune cells that form in non-lymphoid tissues, are frequently identified in a wide range of solid tumors. They function as immunological “hubs”, driving anti-tumor responses. Previous studies have demonstrated that the presence of TLSs is often associated with improved responses to immunotherapy and superior clinical outcomes. Despite these insights, our understanding of their phenotypic diversity, spatial organization, intercellular communication, and interactions with cancer cells and the tumor microenvironment remains incomplete. Existing methods lack the resolution, depth, and scale required for a thorough understanding of these complex structures. We have obtained in-house and public spatial multi-omics data generated on various tissues across 9 different cancer types using the cutting-edge single-cell spatial transcriptomics and high-plex spatial molecular imaging platforms. We have developed innovative computational approaches for the detailed characterization of TLSs at single-cell and subcellular resolution and carried out an extensive analysis of lymphoid aggregates (LAs) and TLSs in tissue sections across these different solid cancer types. We defined the phenotypic state of each individual cell within TLSs including B/plasma cells, follicular helper/regulatory/stressed/exhausted T cells, follicular dendritic cells, fibroblasts and high endothelial venules. Then, we performed unbiased phenotyping and classification of TLSs based on their cellular states, compositions and organization patterns across various types of tissues. Additionally, we performed spatial neighborhood analysis, characterized the neighboring cells of each TLS and analyzed their cell-cell communication networks. Our approach allowed an unprecedented examination of the spatial phenotypes of TLSs in large, complex tissues at super resolution, in ways that were not previously described. We comprehensively characterized TLSs across different solid tumor types. Our analysis revealed a high degree of spatial and phenotypic heterogeneity in LAs and TLSs. We created a comprehensive spatial atlas of LAs and TLSs across solid tumor types, profiled TLSs at various maturation states with distinct cellular composition and organization patterns, and discovered new TLS states. Notably, we observed distinct communication networks associated with TLS phenotypic states. Our innovative methods and analytical approaches offer a more comprehensive way to study LAs and TLSs, enhancing detection capabilities and providing deeper insights into their spatial interaction and functional phenotypes. This research holds the potential to significantly advance our understanding of TLSs and their roles in immunobiology and immunotherapy responses across a broad range of cancers and diseases.

Citation Format: Yunhe Liu, Yuanyuan Zhang, Guangchun Han, Guangsheng Pei, Kyung Serk Cho, Enyu Dai, Yanshuo Chu, Jiahui Jiang, Ansam Sinjab, Luisa M. Soto, Alejandra Serrano, Jianjun Gao, Humam Kadara, Catherine Fridman, Wolf Herve Fridman, Linghua Wang. Pan-cancer single-cell and subcellular characterization of lymphoid aggregates and tertiary lymphoid structures using high-plex spatial molecular imaging [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2024 Apr 5-10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(6_Suppl):Abstract nr 1152.