Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) accounts for approximately 75–80% of all patients with renal cell carcinoma. Despite its prevalence, little is known regarding the key components involved in ccRCC metastasis. In this study, scRNA‐seq analysis was employed to classify CD8+ T cells into four sub‐clusters based on their genetic profiles and immunofluorescence experiments were used to validate two key clusters. Through gene set enrichment analysis, these newly identified sub‐clusters were found to exhibit distinct biological characteristics. Notably, TYMP, TOP2A, CHI3L2, CDKN3, CENPM, and RZH2 were highly expressed in these sub‐clusters, indicating a correlation with poor prognosis. Among these sub‐clusters, CD8+ T cells (MT‐ND4) were identified as potentially playing a critical role in mediating ccRCC metastasis. These results contribute to our understanding of CD8+ T cell heterogeneity in ccRCC and shed light on the mechanisms underlying the loss of immune response against cancer.
