Tumor-infiltrating CD27-IgD- regulatory B cells suppress cytotoxic CD8+T cell responses in renal cell carcinoma
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B cells play a pivotal role in shaping the tumor microenvironment (TME) and tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS), but the functions of specific B cell subsets in cancer pathogenesis remain unclear. Using a novel tissue-centric single cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) bioinformatic workflow aimed at unraveling cancer-specific clusters, combined with flow cytometry and high-plex spatial imaging, we identify a renal cell carcinoma (RCC)-specific enrichment of CD27-IgD-CD21+CD11c- double negative 1 (DN1) B cells associated with worse prognosis and regulatory function. Spatial profiling localizes DN1 Bregs within immature TLSs, in close proximity to IL-10⁺ and TGFβ⁺CD8⁺T cells. RCC-resident DN1 B cells are enriched for endosomal Toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling pathways and stimulation of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) with TLR agonists induces the differentiation of IL-10+ and TGFβ+DN Bregs suppressing CD8+T cell cytotoxicity, partially via IL-10 and TGFβ. These findings identify a pro-tumorigenic B cell population with potential diagnostic and therapeutic relevance in RCC.