Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40859405›Full record

ArticleHereditas2025

Integrated single-cell and bulk transcriptomic profiling reveals cancer-associated fibroblast heterogeneity in glioblastoma and establishes a clinically actionable prognostic model and preliminary experimental validation.

Wenhua Zhang, Yaxiong Li, Conghui Li, Qiang Huang

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Hereditas, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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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

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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

3 citing papers in PubMed.

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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

4 authors.

Wenhua ZhangDepartment of Neurosurgery, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, 300000, China. zhangwenhua13yixue@163.com.
Yaxiong LiDepartment of Neurosurgery, the First Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, 050000, Hebei, China.
Conghui LiDepartment of Neurosurgery, the First Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, 050000, Hebei, China.
Qiang HuangDepartment of Neurosurgery, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, 300000, China. huangqiangsjwk@163.com.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) critically regulate tumor progression, angiogenesis, metastasis, and therapeutic resistance. This study investigated the characteristics of CAFs in glioblastoma (GBM) and developed a CAF-based risk signature to predict patient prognosis. The single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data were sourced from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database, whereas the bulk RNA-seq datasets were retrieved from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Chinese Glioma Genome Atlas (CGGA), respectively. The Seurat R package processed scRNA-seq data to identify CAF clusters using established markers. Prognostic genes were screened through univariate Cox regression, with Lasso regression constructing the final risk model. A nomogram incorporating clinical parameters was subsequently developed. Immunohistochemical validation was performed using the Human Protein Atlas (HPA) for the signature genes. The qRT-PCR validation was conducted in U251 and HA cells. ScRNA-seq analysis revealed five CAF clusters in GBM, including three prognostically relevant subtypes. Three key genes were refined to construct a risk signature functionally enriched in the the IL6_JAK_STAT3 signaling, P53 pathway, and inflammatory response. The signature correlated strongly with stromal and immune scores. Multivariate analysis confirmed risk signature independent prognostic value (P < 0.0001), followed by age (P = 0.005). The CAF-derived nomogram demonstrated superior predictive accuracy for 1-/2-year survival compared to clinical factors alone. The signature genes were validated in the HPA database and experimental validation. This study proposes CAF-derived molecular signatures as potential predictors of glioblastoma prognosis worthy of clinical validation. Systematic characterization of CAF heterogeneity may offer insights for interpreting GBM immunotherapy responses, providing a foundation for future exploration of stroma-targeted therapeutic strategies.

Indexed as

Brain NeoplasmsCancer-Associated FibroblastsGlioblastomaTranscriptomeBiomarkers, TumorFemaleGene Expression ProfilingGene Expression Regulation, NeoplasticHumansMaleMiddle AgedNomogramsPrognosisSingle-Cell AnalysisBiomarkers, TumorCancer-Associated fibroblastsGlioblastomaImmunotherapyNomogram

Identifiers

PMID40859405
PMCPMC12382188

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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.