Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41977488›Full record

ArticleInternational journal of molecular sciences2026

Mesenchymal Tissue-Driven Gene Programs Identify EMP3 as a Key Biomarker of Aggressiveness in Undifferentiated Sarcomas.

Eun-Young Lee, Ahyoung Cho, Seog Yun Park, June Hyuk Kim, Hyun Guy Kang, Jong Woong Park, Jae Hyang Lim, Joonha Kwon, Hye Jin You

Abstract read
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Article in International journal of molecular sciences, 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

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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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

9 authors.

Eun-Young LeeCancer Microenvironment Branch, Division of Cancer Biology, Research Institute, National Cancer Center, Goyang 10408, Republic of Korea.ORCID 0000-0001-7295-8574
Ahyoung ChoCancer Microenvironment Branch, Division of Cancer Biology, Research Institute, National Cancer Center, Goyang 10408, Republic of Korea.ORCID 0009-0007-1128-3295
Seog Yun ParkDepartment of Pathology, National Cancer Center Hospital, National Cancer Center, Goyang 10408, Republic of Korea.
June Hyuk KimDepartment of Cancer Biomedical Science, National Cancer Center-Graduate School of Cancer Science and Policy, National Cancer Center, Goyang 10408, Republic of Korea.ORCID 0000-0002-8899-5342
Hyun Guy KangDepartment of Cancer Biomedical Science, National Cancer Center-Graduate School of Cancer Science and Policy, National Cancer Center, Goyang 10408, Republic of Korea.
Jong Woong ParkDepartment of Orthopaedic Surgery, Center for Sarcoma, National Cancer Center Hospital, National Cancer Center, Goyang 10408, Republic of Korea.
Jae Hyang LimDepartment of Microbiology, College of Medicine, Ewha Womans University, Seoul 07804, Republic of Korea.ORCID 0000-0003-0972-9271
Joonha KwonDepartment of Public Health & AI, National Cancer Center-Graduate School of Cancer Science and Policy, National Cancer Center, Goyang 10408, Republic of Korea.ORCID 0000-0002-6607-0277
Hye Jin YouCancer Microenvironment Branch, Division of Cancer Biology, Research Institute, National Cancer Center, Goyang 10408, Republic of Korea.ORCID 0000-0001-5566-5171

Funding

National Cancer Center NCC-2311420 (to HJYOU)National Cancer Center NCC-2410760 (to HJYOU)
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Undifferentiated sarcomas (USs), including undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma (UPS), are aggressive mesenchymal malignancies with limited molecular biomarkers for prognostic assessment and therapeutic stratification. Expression-based markers may provide insight into tumor aggressiveness and clinical outcomes. Here, we performed integrative transcriptomic and spatial analyses to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs). By comparing normal tissues with sarcoma tumors and sarcoma tumors with cell lines. Intersection and clustering analyses were conducted to define shared expression programs, which revealed a subset of DEGs enriched in epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related pathways. CosMx spatial transcriptomics was applied to xenograft tumors derived from two UPS cell lines to resolve tumor-intrinsic signatures. The National Cancer Center Cohort samples were used for validation, and immunohistochemistry confirmed the expression in thirty US tissues. Spatial transcriptomic profiling identified mesenchymal tissue-driven gene expression programs in UPS xenografts. Across bulk RNA-seq and spatial data, epithelial membrane protein 3 (EMP3) consistently emerged as highly expressed in US tissues and cell lines. EMP3 is a robust mesenchymal-associated biomarker linked to EMT, tumor progression, and clinical outcomes in USs, supporting its potential utility as a prognostic indicator and therapeutic target.

Indexed as

Biomarkers, TumorMembrane GlycoproteinsSarcomaAnimalsCell Line, TumorEpithelial-Mesenchymal TransitionFemaleGene Expression ProfilingGene Expression Regulation, NeoplasticHumansMicePrognosisTranscriptomeBiomarkers, TumorMembrane Glycoproteinsbiomarkerintegrated analysissoft tissue sarcomaspatial transcriptomeundifferentiated pleomorphic sarcomaundifferentiated sarcoma

Identifiers

PMID41977488
PMCPMC13073760

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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.