ArticleAnnals of translational medicine2021
Integrated analysis of single-cell RNA-seq and bulk RNA-seq reveals distinct cancer-associated fibroblasts in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.
Article in Annals of translational medicine, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 20 papers.
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Who cites it
20 citing papers in PubMed, 30 citations in OpenAlex.
- Myofibroblast-Like CAFs in Metastatic Lymph Nodes Drive Tumor Stemness and Poor Prognosis in Head and Neck Cancer.Cancer science · 2026Article
- A highly resolved integrated single-cell atlas of HPV-negative head and neck cancer.Communications medicine · 2026Article
- Understanding the Tumor Microenvironment and Therapy Resistance in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma.Cells · 2025Review
- Uncovering functional divergence and cellular clusters with specific gene signatures in HNSCC clonal spheroids.Cell communication and signaling : CCS · 2025Article
- Immunotherapeutic strategies in head and neck cancer: challenges and opportunities.The Journal of clinical investigation · 2025Review
- Review
- LOXScientific reports · 2025Article
- PSMA2 promotes chemo- and radioresistance of oral squamous cell carcinoma by modulating mitophagy pathway.Cell death discovery · 2025Article
- Review
- Review
- T-cell infiltration and its regulatory mechanisms in cancers: insights at single-cell resolution.Journal of experimental & clinical cancer research : CR · 2024Review
- Cancer-Associated Fibroblast Heterogeneity in Malignancy with Focus on Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma.International journal of molecular sciences · 2024Review
- Co-expression patterns of cancer associated fibroblast markers reveal distinct subgroups related to patient survival in oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma.Frontiers in cell and developmental biology · 2024Article
- Heterogeneity of cancer-associated fibroblasts in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: opportunities and challenges.Cell death discovery · 2023Review
- Fibroblasts as Turned Agents in Cancer Progression.Cancers · 2023Review
- Improving head and neck cancer therapies by immunomodulation of the tumour microenvironment.Nature reviews. Cancer · 2023Review
- Single-cell spatial architectures associated with clinical outcome in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.NPJ precision oncology · 2022Article
- Isolation and characterization of head and neck cancer-derived peritumoral and cancer-associated fibroblasts.Frontiers in oncology · 2022Article
- Potential Biomarkers and Signaling Pathways Associated with the Pathogenesis of Primary Ameloblastoma: A Systems Biology Approach.International journal of dentistry · 2022Article
- The Role of the BH4 Cofactor in Nitric Oxide Synthase Activity and Cancer Progression: Two Sides of the Same Coin.International journal of molecular sciences · 2021Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
8 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe heterogeneity of cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) has been widely acknowledged, but has not yet been elucidated. The potential roles and clinical relevance of CAFs subclusters in HNSCC progression remain obscure.
methodsIn this study, we combined single-cell and bulk tissue transcriptome profiles of HNSCC with clinical data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). The
resultsWe identified eight CAFs subclusters; of these, seven showed enhanced expression levels in HNSCC tumor tissues compared to normal tissue, and three (clusters 0, 3, and 4) were associated with poorer overall survival. Further functional analysis revealed that cluster 0 was characterized by myofibroblasts with high alpha smooth muscle actin (aSMA) expression and enrichment in smooth muscle contraction. The cluster 3 exhibited expression of extracellular matrix (ECM)-related genes and was enriched in epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related gene sets. Cluster 4 expressed high levels of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II family, which was characterized as antigen-presenting CAFs.
conclusionsWe determined CAFs heterogeneity in HNSCC. 8 CAFs subclusters were recognized and 3 of which were prognosis related. The 3 CAFs subclusters showed distinct phenotypes enriched in myofibroblast function, ECM remodeling and antigen-presenting function respectively.
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