Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42702944›Full record

ArticleBioFactors (Oxford, England)

Immune-Like Malignant Epithelial Programs Shape Tumor-Immune Interactions and Inform Prognostic Stratification in Lung Adenocarcinoma.

Wei Zhang, Hongmei Sheng, Yazheng Zhang, Qihong Yu, Haiying Peng

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BioFactors (Oxford, England). 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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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

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

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

5 authors.

Wei ZhangTianjin Chest Hospital, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China.
Hongmei ShengTianjin Chest Hospital, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China.
Yazheng ZhangTianjin Chest Hospital, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China.
Qihong YuTianjin Chest Hospital, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China.
Haiying PengTianjin Chest Hospital, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0006-8091-2924

Funding

Scientific Research Program of Hebei Provincial Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine T2026027Tianjin Key Medical Discipline Project TJYXZDXK-3-032C
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is characterized by marked cellular heterogeneity, yet how malignant epithelial states contribute to immune regulation and clinical outcomes remains incompletely defined. We integrated single-cell RNA-sequencing data to map the cellular landscape of LUAD and identify malignant epithelial cells based on inferred copy-number alterations. Epithelial states were further examined through trajectory inference, transcription factor analysis, and cell-cell communication profiling. Single-cell-derived genes were subsequently integrated with TCGA and independent GEO cohorts to construct and validate a machine learning-based prognostic signature. Malignant epithelial cells displayed distinct functional programs, including an immune-like state associated with genomic instability, immune-related transcriptional activity, tumor-immune communication, and patient outcomes. The resulting immune-like malignant epithelial cell signature (IMEC-Sig) consistently stratified survival across multiple cohorts. Low IMEC-Sig scores were accompanied by greater immune infiltration, higher immune checkpoint expression, and increased immunophenoscore, whereas high scores were linked to a comparatively immunosuppressive phenotype. Pan-cancer analyses further identified KRT8 as a gene associated with unfavorable prognosis, and functional experiments showed that KRT8 silencing suppressed proliferation, migration, invasion, and colony formation in LUAD cells. Together, these findings connect malignant epithelial heterogeneity with the immune context and clinical outcomes, support IMEC-Sig as a biologically informed prognostic tool, and nominate KRT8 as a potential therapeutic target in LUAD.

Indexed as

Adenocarcinoma of LungLung NeoplasmsBiomarkers, TumorCell CommunicationCell Line, TumorCell ProliferationEpithelial CellsGene Expression Regulation, NeoplasticHumansPrognosisSingle-Cell Gene Expression AnalysisBiomarkers, Tumorepithelial cellsimmunotherapyLUADscRNA‐seqTME

Identifiers

PMID42702944
PMCPMC13547769

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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.