Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42000946›Full record

ArticleNPJ precision oncology2026

Single-cell transcriptomic landscape highlights epithelial-fibroblast interactions and CD44-mediated malignant traits in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma.

Meng Jin, Xin Wang, Lingmei Qu, Zhaonan Xu, Shuo Liu, Shuang Teng, Fengshuo Zhang, Qing Hao, Peng Wang, Rui Zhao and 3 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in NPJ precision oncology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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

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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

13 authors.

Meng Jin *Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China.
Xin Wang *Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Shaanxi Provincial People's Hospital, Xian, China.
Lingmei Qu *Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China.
Zhaonan XuDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China.
Shuo LiuDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China.
Shuang TengDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China.
Fengshuo ZhangDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China.
Qing HaoDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China.
Peng WangDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China.
Rui ZhaoDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China.
Jingyuan RenDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China. rjy116@126.com.
Bingrui YanDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China. ybryrs1995@126.com.
Yanan SunDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China. h04015@hrbmu.edu.cn.

Funding

National Natural Science Foundation of China No. 82203114National Natural Science Foundation of China No. 82473035National Natural Science Foundation of China No. 82573272Natural Science Foundation of Heilongjiang Province LH2022H009Science and Technology Development Program of Jilin Province No. 20220505037ZPYouth Project of Heilongjiang Natural Science Foundation YQ2022H008
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) frequently presents with lymph node metastasis and poor prognosis. Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are key stromal components that modulate tumor progression. We performed single-cell RNA sequencing on nine matched samples, including primary tumors (PT), adjacent non-tumor tissues (NT), and metastatic lymph nodes (LN), from three LSCC patients to profile epithelial and fibroblast heterogeneity. Three malignant epithelial subtypes (EP0-EP2) were identified, with distinct trajectories and functional phenotypes. EP0 was enriched in EMT-related signatures and dominant in metastatic lesions, while EP2 displayed high stemness and proliferative potential. Five fibroblast subtypes (F0-F4) were characterized, showing a pseudotemporal transition from immune-regulatory (F1, F3) and matrix-remodeling (F2) states toward a contractile, pro-invasive F0 subtype, which was enriched in LN and highly expressed ACTA2 and CAV1. Cell-cell communication analysis revealed increased fibroblast-epithelial interactions in LN, primarily via FN1 and COLLAGEN ligands targeting CD44. Functional assays confirmed that CD44 knockdown in vitro reduced proliferation, migration, invasion, and in vivo tumorigenesis, supporting its role in metastasis. These findings reveal the dynamic remodeling of epithelial and fibroblast compartments in LSCC and identify CD44 as a key driver of metastasis through fibroblast-epithelial interactions.

Identifiers

PMID42000946
PMCPMC13276076

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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.