Single-Cell and Bulk Transcriptomics Uncover the Cellular Ecosystem of Vascular Invasion in Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma - PubMed
4 hours ago
- #tumor microenvironment
- #vascular invasion
- #intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma
- Single-cell and bulk transcriptomics identified a distinct subset of cancer-associated fibroblasts (tCAFs) enriched in vascular invasion (VI)-positive intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC).
- tCAFs are associated with hypoxia and angiogenesis pathways, promoting VI primarily through VEGF signaling interactions with endothelial cells.
- Key functional genes in tCAFs include SLC2A1, PTGS2, and PLOD2; SLC2A1 inhibition suppressed endothelial sprouting and tumor progression in models.
- The study unveils a hypoxia-tCAFs-endothelial cells axis driving VI in ICC and identifies SLC2A1 as a potential therapeutic target.