Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40123905›Full record

ArticleFrontiers in oncology2025

TM4SF1 overexpression in tumor-associated endothelial cells promotes microvascular invasion in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Junwu Guo, Liangrui Chen, Binghua Dai, Chengjun Sui, Zhitao Dong, Keji Chen, Kecai Duan, Kunpeng Fang, Aijun Li, Kui Wang and 1 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Frontiers in oncology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Junwu Guo *Department of Special Treatment, Third Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University (Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital), Shanghai, China.
Liangrui Chen *Department of Hepatic Surgery II, Third Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University (Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital), Shanghai, China.
Binghua Dai *Department of Special Treatment, Third Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University (Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital), Shanghai, China.
Chengjun Sui *Department of Special Treatment, Third Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University (Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital), Shanghai, China.
Zhitao DongDepartment of Special Treatment, Third Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University (Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital), Shanghai, China.
Keji ChenDepartment of Special Treatment, Third Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University (Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital), Shanghai, China.
Kecai DuanDepartment of Special Treatment, Third Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University (Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital), Shanghai, China.
Kunpeng FangDepartment of Special Treatment, Third Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University (Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital), Shanghai, China.
Aijun LiDepartment of Special Treatment, Third Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University (Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital), Shanghai, China.
Kui WangDepartment of Hepatic Surgery II, Third Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University (Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital), Shanghai, China.
Li GengDepartment of Special Treatment, Third Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University (Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital), Shanghai, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Microvascular invasion (MVI) is linked to poor prognosis, early recurrence and post-surgical intrahepatic metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) but roles of tumor-associated endothelial cells (TECs) remain unclear. The aim of the current study was to investigate the role of TECs in microvascular invasion in HCC. Methods: Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data from three patients with MVI and two patients with non-MVI HCC were used to identify TECs subpopulations via Seurat R package. Using bioinformatics analysis identified co-expression modules associated with MVI in TECs. Differential gene expression analysis, KME values and Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA) survival were utilized to identify genes with significant involvement. TECs subgroup developmental trajectory was analyzed using monocle2. Five additional spatial transcriptomics (ST) datasets and four HCC postoperative pathological specimens were used to validate the differential expression of subgroups of TECs and hub genes between MVI and non-MVI groups. Results: Distinct TECs subgroups had significant heterogeneity between datasets from MVI and non-MVI patients. MVI samples had TECs subgroups with increased levels of the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), endothelial cell migration and angiogenesis. Opposing EMT development was found in MVI TECs relative to non-MVI TECs. TM4SF1 was highly expressed in TECs undergoing the EMT and is thought to be linked to MVI. Conclusion: TECs with elevated TM4SF1 expression facilitate MVI during HCC via an effect on the EMT, suggesting the potential of TM4SF1 as a therapeutic target.

Indexed as

epithelial-mesenchymal transitionhepatocellular carcinomamicrovascular invasionScRNA-seqspatial transcriptomicsTM4SF1tumor-associated endothelial cells

Identifiers

PMID40123905
PMCPMC11925789

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.