Characterization of bone marrow heterogeneity in NK-AML (M4/M5) based on single-cell RNA sequencing
Wenqi Wu, Zeyan Shi, Zhongyuan Tang, Huiqun Li, Xiaoke Huang, Xiaolin Liang, Jing Li, Yibin Yao, Weihua Zhao, Meiqing Wu, Jun Luo, Zhenfang Liu
Abstract
Normal karyotype acute myeloid leukemia (NK-AML) is a heterogeneous hematological malignancy that contains a minor population of self-renewing leukemia stem cells (LSCs), which complicate efforts to achieve long-term survival. We performed single-cell RNA sequencing to profile 39,288 cells from 6 bone marrow (BM) aspirates including 5 NK-AML (M4/M5) patients and 1 healthy donor. The single-cell transcriptome atlas and gene expression characteristics of each cell population in NK-AML (M4/M5) and healthy BM were obtained. In addition, we identified a distinct LSC-like cluster with possible biomarkers in NK-AML (M4/M5) and verified 6 genes using qRT‒PCR and bioinformatic analyses. In conclusion, we utilized single-cell technologies to provide an atlas of NK-AML (M4/M5) cell heterogeneity, composition, and biomarkers with implications for precision medicine and targeted therapies.