ArticleCancer immunology, immunotherapy : CII2025
The single-cell atlas of colorectal cancer reveals cellular heterogeneity and key molecular features of the tumor immune microenvironment.
Article in Cancer immunology, immunotherapy : CII, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
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.
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.
Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed.
- PRKX-mediated stabilization of PD-L1 characterizes an immunosuppressive gastric cancer subtype.Journal for immunotherapy of cancer · 2026Article
- Pathway-based molecular subtyping identifies LAMP5 as an EMT-associated prognostic target in colorectal cancer.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2026Article
- Investigate the heterogeneity of colorectal cancer patients at the single-cell level prior to and subsequent to immunotherapy.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Article
- Integrated multi-omics characterization of SPTBN2 overexpression reveals its pro-tumorigenic role and immune microenvironment remodeling in colorectal cancer.Frontiers in cell and developmental biology · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundColorectal cancer (CRC) is a highly heterogeneous malignancy, with its tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) playing a crucial role in tumor progression, immune evasion, and treatment response. Despite insights from single-cell technologies, challenges such as small samples and inconsistent annotations have limited a comprehensive understanding. Thus, a large-scale, high-resolution single-cell atlas is needed to fully explore the heterogeneity of CRC TIME and guide personalized treatment.
methodsWe analyzed single-cell transcriptomic data from 100 CRC samples (371,223 cells). Immune, stromal, and epithelial cells in the TIME were clustered, annotated, and functionally analyzed. Transcription factor networks were inferred using SCENIC, differentiation states assessed with CytoTRACE, and cell-cell communication analyzed via CellPhoneDB. TIME subtypes were constructed from bulk RNA-seq data, followed by survival analysis. SCRN1 was further validated through in vitro experiments.
resultsThis study presents a comprehensive single-cell CRC atlas, revealing significant heterogeneity in T cells, B cells, myeloid cells, fibroblasts, endothelial cells, and epithelial cells within the TIME. We defined two immune ecological subtypes: subtype 1 (enriched in metabolic and motility pathways with poor prognosis) and subtype 2 (enriched in immune response pathways, with better prognosis and greater immunotherapy potential). High SCRN1 expression in malignant epithelial cells correlated with poor prognosis and metastasis. In vitro experiments confirmed the role of SCRN1 in promoting CRC cell proliferation and migration.
conclusionsThis study provides a comprehensive characterization of the CRC TIME, links TIME subtypes to prognosis, and identifies SCRN1 as a potential therapeutic target, offering insights for CRC precision subtyping and immunotherapy strategies.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.