Single cell derived mRNA signals across human kidney tumors

The cellular transcriptome may provide clues into the differentiation state and origin of human cancer, as tumor cells may retain patterns of gene expression similar to the cell they derive from. Here, we studied the differentiation state and cellular origin of human kidney tumors, by assessing mRNA signals in 1,300 childhood and adult renal tumors, spanning seven different tumor types. Using single cell mRNA reference maps of normal tissues generated by the Human Cell Atlas project, we measured the abundance of reference “cellular signals” in each tumor. Quantifying global differentiation states, we found that, irrespective of tumor type, childhood tumors exhibited fetal cellular signals, thus replacing the long-held presumption of “fetalness” with a precise, quantitative readout of immaturity. By contrast, in adult cancers our assessment refuted the suggestion of dedifferentiation towards a fetal state in the overwhelming majority of cases, with the exception of lethal variants of clear cell renal cell carcinoma. Examining the specific cellular phenotype of each tumor type revealed an intimate connection between the different mesenchymal populations of the developing kidney and childhood renal tumors, whereas adult tumors mostly represented specific mature tubular cell types. RNA signals of each tumor type were remarkably uniform and specific, indicating a possible therapeutic and diagnostic utility. We demonstrated this utility with a case study of a cryptic renal tumor. Whilst not classifiable by clinical pathological work-up, mRNA signals revealed the diagnosis. Our findings provide a cellular definition of human renal tumors through an approach that is broadly applicable to human cancer.