ArticleOncology research2025
STC2+ Malignant Cell State Associated with EMT, Tumor Microenvironment Remodeling, and Poor Prognosis Revealed by Single-Cell and Spatial Transcriptomics in Colorectal Cancer.
Article in Oncology research, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
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.
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.
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Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed.
- Deep Learning-Assisted Prioritization of Candidate Drug Targets in Tumors Using Spatial Multi-Omics.Biology · 2026Review
- Combinatorial post-translational modification reprogramming of the endomembrane system in colorectal cancer.Translational cancer research · 2026Article
- Transcriptomics and Mendelian randomization studies reveal the critical role of Stanniocalcin-2 in linking perfluorinated compound-exposure to colorectal cancer.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Objectives: The mechanism by which specific tumor subsets in colorectal cancer (CRC) use alternative metabolic pathways, particularly those modulated by hypoxia and fructose, to alter the tumor microenvironment (TME) remains unclear. This study aimed to identify these malignant subpopulations and characterize their intercellular signaling networks and spatial organization through an integrative multi-omics approach. Methods: Leveraging bulk datasets, single-cell RNA sequencing, and integrative spatial transcriptomics, we developed a prognostic model based on hypoxia-and fructose metabolism-related genes (HFGs) to delineate tumor cell subpopulations and their intercellular signaling networks. Results: We identified a specific subset of stanniocalcin-2 positive (STC2+) malignant cells spatially enriched within tumor regions and strongly associated with poor prognosis. This subset served as a key signaling hub in the TME, exhibiting increased epithelial-mesenchymal transition activity. STC2+ cells engage in two spatially organized ligand-receptor interactions: the growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF15)-transforming growth factor beta receptor 2 (TGFBR2) pathway targeting endothelial cells and the migration inhibitory factor (MIF)-(cluster of differentiation 74 [CD74]+C-X-C motif chemokine receptor 4 [CXCR4]) pathway targeting macrophages. Conclusion: This study identified a malignant cell state in CRC that is metabolically defined and spatially limited, including liver metastases, and is characterized by elevated STC2 expression and active immune-stromal interactions. Given the interplay between metabolic reprogramming and TME remodeling, STC2+ malignant cells are a functionally significant subpopulation and a potential therapeutic target.
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