1072-Tumor-Infiltrating B Cells Across Human Cancers

This research presents a comprehensive pan-cancer atlas of tumor-infiltrating B cells by analyzing data from 269 patients across 20 different cancer types. Using advanced single-cell sequencing technologies, the authors identified 15 distinct B cell subsets and two primary developmental pathways leading to antibody-secreting cells. The study highlights that the extrafollicular pathway is associated with worse clinical outcomes and immunosuppressive environments compared to the canonical germinal center pathway. Researchers discovered that atypical memory B cells serve as key progenitors in this extrafollicular process, driven by specific metabolic-epigenetic signaling involving glutamine. Ultimately, these findings provide a functional blueprint that could help refine B cell–targeted immunotherapies and improve patient responses to cancer treatment.

References:

• Ma J, Wu Y, Ma L, et al. A blueprint for tumor-infiltrating B cells across human cancers[J]. Science, 2024, 384(6695): eadj4857.