Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42717115›Full record

ArticleFunctional & integrative genomics2026

Integrated single-cell and spatial transcriptomic analyses reveal malignant epithelial glycolytic heterogeneity and spatial niche remodeling during colorectal cancer progression.

Jinyun Xiao, Shanshan Heng, Jiayu Li, Shaozhuo Xie, Liangzhi Li, Jiajia Chen, Jie Wu, Yuxin Lin, Xin Qi

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Article in Functional & integrative genomics, 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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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Jinyun XiaoSchool of Chemistry and Life Sciences, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou, 215011, China.
Shanshan HengSchool of Chemistry and Life Sciences, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou, 215011, China.
Jiayu LiSchool of Chemistry and Life Sciences, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou, 215011, China.
Shaozhuo XieSchool of Chemistry and Life Sciences, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou, 215011, China.
Liangzhi LiSchool of Chemistry and Life Sciences, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou, 215011, China.
Jiajia ChenSchool of Chemistry and Life Sciences, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou, 215011, China.
Jie WuDepartment of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, 215006, China. sudajwu@suda.edu.cn.
Yuxin LinCenter for Medical Big Data, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, 215006, China. linyuxin@suda.edu.cn.
Xin QiSchool of Chemistry and Life Sciences, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou, 215011, China. qixin@usts.edu.cn.

Funding

National Natural Science Foundation of China 32270705Postgraduate Research & Practice Innovation Program of Jiangsu Province SJCX25_1854
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Colorectal cancer (CRC) progression is shaped by metabolic reprogramming and complex interactions within the tumor microenvironment. However, the cellular heterogeneity, spatial organization, and clinical relevance of glycolytic activity in CRC remain incompletely understood. In this study, we integrated single-cell RNA sequencing, bulk transcriptomics, and spatial transcriptomics data to systematically characterize glycolytic heterogeneity in CRC. Glycolytic activity was quantified using five independent scoring methods, consistently showing that epithelial cells exhibited the highest glycolytic activity across the two single-cell cohorts. Stratification of CopyKAT-verified aneuploid malignant epithelial cells into high-glycolysis (HG) and low-glycolysis (LG) subgroups by glycolysis scores revealed that HG cells exhibited higher stemness scores and chromosomal copy number variations. Cell-cell communication analysis revealed that, compared with LG cells, HG cells exhibited increased interaction frequency and strength with immune and stromal populations, indicating enhanced malignant epithelial-microenvironment crosstalk. Spatial transcriptomics analyses further revealed that glycolytic activity varied across normal colorectal tissue, primary CRC, and colorectal liver metastases, accompanied by progressive remodeling of epithelial-associated spatial niches and MIF-mediated intercellular communication. Bulk transcriptomic analysis identified a glycolysis-related prognostic signature with robust predictive performance, which served as an independent prognostic factor for overall survival in CRC cohorts. Collectively, these findings indicate that glycolytic heterogeneity is a key feature of CRC malignant epithelial cells and is closely associated with tumor progression, microenvironmental remodeling, and clinical outcomes.

Indexed as

Colorectal NeoplasmsGlycolysisTranscriptomeTumor MicroenvironmentDisease ProgressionEpithelial CellsGene Expression Regulation, NeoplasticHumansMetabolic ReprogrammingSingle-Cell AnalysisSingle-Cell Gene Expression AnalysisSpatial TranscriptomicsColorectal cancerGlycolysis heterogeneityMalignant epithelial cellsMulti-omics integrationPrognostic signature

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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.