Integrated bulk and single-cell transcriptomic profiling reveals NECTIN–TIGIT interaction underlies T cell exhaustion in papillary thyroid carcinoma

Abstract To elucidate the immunological mechanisms underlying T cell exhaustion in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) by integrating bulk and single-cell transcriptomic data, with a particular focus on the NECTIN–TIGIT interaction as a potential driver of immune evasion. Papillary thyroid carcinoma, while often indolent, can recur or progress in certain patients. Increasing evidence suggests that immune evasion within the tumor microenvironment (TME) plays a central role in PTC pathogenesis. Among the various immune checkpoint pathways, the NECTIN–TIGIT axis has emerged in