Single-Cell RNA Sequencing Identifies Extracellular Matrix Gene Expression by Pancreatic Circulating Tumor Cells

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are shed from primary tumors into the bloodstream, mediating the hematogenous spread of cancer to distant organs. To define their composition, we compared genome-wide expression profiles of CTCs with matched primary tumors in a mouse model of pancreatic cancer, isolating individual CTCs using epitope-independent microfluidic capture, followed by single-cell RNA sequencing. CTCs clustered separately from primary tumors and tumor-derived cell lines, showing low-proliferative signatures, enrichment for the stem-cell-associated gene Aldh1a2, biphenotypic expression of epithelial and mesenchymal markers, and expression of Igfbp5, a gene transcript enriched at the epithelial-stromal…

• UD
  U.S. Department of Defense
• HH
  Howard Hughes Medical Institute
• BW
  Burroughs Wellcome Fund

  Awards: K12CA087723-11A1, K12CA087723
• NF
  National Foundation for Cancer Research
• SU
  Stand Up To Cancer
• NC
  National Cancer Institute

  Awards: K12CA087723-11A1, 2R01CA129933, K12CA087723
• NI
  National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering

  Award: 5R01EB008047