Single-Cell mRNA Analysis for the Identification of Molecular Pathways of IRF1 in HER2+ Breast Cancer

Clonally established tumor cell lines often do not recapitulate the behavior of cells in tumors. The sequencing of a whole tumor tissue may not uncover transcriptome profiles induced by the interactions of all different cell types within a tumor. Interferons for instance have a vast number of binding sites in their target genes. Access to the DNA binding sites is determined by the epigenomic state of each different cell type within a tumor mass. To understand how genes such as interferons appear to have both tumor-promoting and tumor-inhibiting functions, single-cell transcript analysis was performed in the breast cancer tissue of HER2+ (epidermal growth factor receptor 2) patients. We identified that potential antagonistic oncogenic activities of cells can be due to diverse expression patterns of genes with pleiotropic functions. Molecular pathways both known and novel were identified and were similar with those previously identified for patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Our study demonstrates the efficacy in using single-cell transcript analysis to gain insight into genes with apparent contradictory or paradoxical roles in oncogenesis.