Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41309490›Full record

ArticleAdvanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany)2026

Retinoic Acid Reprograms Mast Cells Toward a Proinflammatory State to Enhance Antitumor Immunity.

Lizao Zhang, Siqi Ren, Yuhui Li, Rongxi Chen, Ling Qiu, Yongmei Tan, Suling Chen, Huiqian Wu, Lianxi Mai, Xiao Tan and 16 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany), 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing 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

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Retinoic acid in health and disease.Signal transduction and targeted therapy · 2026
    Review
  2. Article
  3. Review
  4. 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

26 authors.

Lizao ZhangDepartment of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, China.
Siqi RenDepartment of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, China.
Yuhui LiGuangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Malignant Tumor Epigenetics and Gene Regulation, Guangdong-Hong Kong Joint Laboratory for RNA Medicine, Medical Research Center, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, China.
Rongxi ChenDepartment of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, China.
Ling QiuDepartment of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, China.
Yongmei TanDepartment of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, China.
Suling ChenDepartment of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, China.
Huiqian WuDepartment of Pathology, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, China.
Lianxi MaiDepartment of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, China.
Xiao TanDepartment of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, China.
Xin LiuDepartment of Stomatology, Affiliated Hospital of Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, 310015, China.
Peisheng LiangGuanghua School of Stomatology, Hospital of Stomatology, Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510095, China.
Shijia KuangDepartment of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, China.
Liansheng WangDepartment of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, China.
Jingkang LiuDepartment of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, China.
Jintao LiDepartment of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, China.
Yanyan LiDepartment of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, China.
Qiuping XuGuangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Malignant Tumor Epigenetics and Gene Regulation, Guangdong-Hong Kong Joint Laboratory for RNA Medicine, Medical Research Center, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, China.
Yongzhi SuSchool of Mathematics and Big Data, Foshan University, Southern Medical University, Foshan 528000, Guangzhou, 510000, China.
Yuehai LuoSchool of Mathematics and Big Data, Foshan University, Southern Medical University, Foshan 528000, Guangzhou, 510000, China.
Binyan WuSchool of Mathematics and Big Data, Foshan University, Southern Medical University, Foshan 528000, Guangzhou, 510000, China.
Zijing HuangDepartment of Endodontics, Stomatological Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510000, China.
Haotian CaoDepartment of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, China.
Qunxing LiDepartment of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, China.
Jinsong LiDepartment of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, China.
Tianjun LanDepartment of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5680-6164

Funding

Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation of Guangdong Province 2019A1515110662Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation of Guangdong Province 2023A1515110704China Postdoctoral Science Foundation GZC20242069Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation 2019A1515110662Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation 2023A1515110704Guangdong Science and Technology Development Fund 2021A1515012355Guangdong Science and Technology Development Fund 2024A1515012876Medical Scientific Research Foundation of Guangdong Province A2023351National Natural Science Foundation of China 82072990National Natural Science Foundation of China 82272788National Natural Science Foundation of China 82303758National Natural Science Foundation of China 82503152Special Fund Project for Science and Technology Innovation Strategy of Guangdong Province 2021A1515012355Special Fund Project for Science and Technology Innovation Strategy of Guangdong Province 2024A1515012876Sun Yat-sen Pilot Scientific Research Fund SYSQH-II-202509Sun Yat-sen Pilot Scientific Research Fund YXQH202510
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Mast cells play complex and context-dependent roles within the tumor microenvironment, yet their molecular characteristics and functional diversity across human cancers remain poorly defined. In this study, single-cell RNA sequencing and spatial transcriptomics data are integrated to comprehensively map the transcriptional and spatial heterogeneity of mast cells across ten cancer types. A distinct proinflammatory mast cell (PMC) population is identified, characterized by strong antigen-presenting features and immune-activating potential. Mechanistic analyses show that retinoic acid (RA) signaling drives the polarization of PMCs through activation of RARα, which promotes CIITA-mediated MHC-II expression, CXCL16 secretion, and T cell recruitment and activation. Across multiple cancer types, tumors with higher PMC abundance are associated with more favorable clinical outcomes. These findings reveal the pivotal role of RA-RARα-CIITA signaling in mast cell reprogramming and suggest that pharmacologic induction of proinflammatory mast cells may represent a promising approach to enhance antitumor immunity.

Indexed as

Mast CellsNeoplasmsTretinoinAnimalsHumansInflammationMiceSignal TransductionTumor MicroenvironmentTretinoincancer immunotherapyMast cellspan‐cancerretinoic acidsingle‐cell RNA sequencing

Identifiers

PMID41309490
PMCPMC12866796

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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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.