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Updated: Jan 18, 2026
RNAscope for In situ Detection of Transcriptionally Active Human Papillomavirus in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Published on: March 11, 2014
Single-cell transcriptomic profiling reveals distinct tumor microenvironments in HPV-associated penile squamous cell
Lianbang Zhu1,2, Deyun Shen1, Jiahao Zhou3
1Department of Urology, Centre for Leading Medicine and Advanced Technologies of IHM, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230031, China.
Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection in penile squamous cell carcinoma (PSCC) alters the tumor microenvironment. HPV-positive PSCC shows reduced immune suppression, potentially explaining better outcomes for these patients.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Immunology
- Virology
Background:
- Penile squamous cell carcinoma (PSCC) is a rare, disfiguring cancer with a ~50% 5-year survival rate.
- Human papillomavirus (HPV) is linked to half of PSCC cases and better outcomes, but mechanisms are unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate HPV-associated differences in the PSCC tumor microenvironment.
- To understand how HPV impacts immune cell populations and their function in PSCC.
Main Methods:
- Single-cell RNA sequencing was performed on 52,980 cells from 11 treatment-naïve PSCC patients.
- Unsupervised clustering identified 49 distinct cellular clusters within the immune and stromal compartments.
Main Results:
- HPV-positive tumors had more mast cells and fewer proliferative macrophages than HPV-negative tumors.
- CD8+ T cells in HPV-positive PSCC showed less exhaustion with lower immune checkpoint molecule expression.
- TIGIT and its ligands were enriched in HPV-negative tumors, suggesting an immunosuppressive environment.
Conclusions:
- The study reveals the single-cell landscape of PSCC and HPV-driven tumor microenvironment changes.
- Reduced immunosuppression in HPV-positive PSCC may contribute to a more favorable prognosis.
