Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41942785›Full record

ArticleJournal of molecular medicine (Berlin, Germany)2026

Integrative multimodal transcriptomics identifies a cancer-associated fibroblast membrane signature for predicting prognosis and therapeutic response in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.

Leshi Zhuang, Wei Zhang, Jun Wu, Jian Cao, Liang Feng, Shubo Cao

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of molecular medicine (Berlin, Germany), 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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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

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Leshi Zhuang *Department of Hepatobiliary, Pancreatic and Splenic Surgery, Yiyang Central Hospital, No. 118, Kangfu North Road, Heshan District, Yiyang, 413000, Hunan Province, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0002-7236-5546
Wei Zhang *Institute for Brain Research and Rehabilitation, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510631, Guangdong Province, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0007-6333-4138
Jun Wu *Institute for Brain Research and Rehabilitation, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510631, Guangdong Province, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1717-0378
Jian CaoGeneral Surgery Department, Yiyang Central Hospital, Hunan Province, Yiyang, 413000, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0004-0932-8632
Liang FengGeneral Surgery Department, Yiyang Central Hospital, Hunan Province, Yiyang, 413000, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0007-3070-8148
Shubo CaoDepartment of Hepatobiliary, Pancreatic and Splenic Surgery, Yiyang Central Hospital, No. 118, Kangfu North Road, Heshan District, Yiyang, 413000, Hunan Province, China. 13807374946@163.com.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0007-4881-3210

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are central to the pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) microenvironment, promoting tumor progression and therapeutic resistance. However, the expression landscape of CAF membrane proteins in PDAC remains poorly defined. We integrated scRNA-seq (n = 33; 87,949 cells), spatial transcriptomics (n = 2; 7,011 spots), and bulk RNA-seq (n = 7; 642 samples) to systematically identify PDAC-specific CAF membrane genes. A LASSO-based Cox model was developed to construct a prognostic signature, PaFMS, and evaluated through multi-cohort validation. Functional enrichment, immune infiltration, drug sensitivity, and immunotherapy response analyses were further conducted. Validation was performed using multiple database-driven analyses. We identified a PDAC-enriched myoCAF-c1 cluster closely associated with epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and angiogenesis. From this cluster, 33 candidate CAF membrane genes were defined, whose protein-protein interactions were predominantly linked to extracellular matrix organization and collagen remodeling, and spatially colocalized with myoCAF-c1 and EMT regions. An 11-gene prognostic signature, PaFMS that robustly stratified patients across six independent cohorts, achieving high predictive accuracy for overall survival. High-risk patients exhibited proliferative signaling activation, immune suppression, and reduced T/B-cell infiltration. PaFMS was associated with responses to 33 anticancer agents and predicted enhanced benefit from anti-PD-L1 immunotherapy in the low-risk group. Multi-cohort validation confirmed the expression specificity of PaFMS genes, including PLAU, TMEM158, and TRIM59. Together, these findings reveal that myoCAF-c1 promotes angiogenesis and tumor progression, and establish PaFMS as a robust CAF membrane-based prognostic model in PDAC with potential utility for precision prognosis and therapeutic decision-making. KEY MESSAGES: Integrated single-cell, spatial, and bulk RNA-seq analyses identified PDAC-specific CAF membrane genes. Discovered a PDAC-enriched myoCAF-c1 subtype linked to EMT and angiogenesis. Developed an 11-gene CAF membrane-based prognostic model (PaFMS) validated across six cohorts. PaFMS predicts patient survival, drug sensitivity, and immunotherapy response in PDAC.

Indexed as

Cancer-Associated FibroblastsCarcinoma, Pancreatic DuctalPancreatic NeoplasmsTranscriptomeBiomarkers, TumorEpithelial-Mesenchymal TransitionFemaleGene Expression ProfilingGene Expression Regulation, NeoplasticHumansPrognosisTumor MicroenvironmentBiomarkers, TumorCancer-associated fibroblastMembranePancreatic cancerPrognostic model

Identifiers

PMID41942785
PMCPMC13053443

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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.