Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42836968›Full record

ArticleInflammation research : official journal of the European Histamine Research Society ... [et al.]2026

Single-cell and spatial transcriptomics identify a JUNB+ neutrophil subset enriched in immune-excluded regions of lung adenocarcinoma.

Yaping Zhu, Danfei Shi, Longfei Ji, Binyu Wang, Weiyun Shen, Fengqi Liu, Siqi Zhang, Xinmin Li, Yong Li

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Article in Inflammation research : official journal of the European Histamine Research Society ... [et al.], 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.

Yaping Zhu *Department of Pathology, First Affiliated Hospital of Huzhou Normal University, First People's Hospital of Huzhou City, Huzhou, Zhejiang, China.
Danfei Shi *Department of Pathology, First Affiliated Hospital of Huzhou Normal University, First People's Hospital of Huzhou City, Huzhou, Zhejiang, China.
Longfei Ji *Department of Clinical Laboratory, First Affiliated Hospital of Huzhou Normal University, First People's Hospital of Huzhou City, Huzhou, Zhejiang, China.
Binyu WangDepartment of Clinical Laboratory, First Affiliated Hospital of Huzhou Normal University, First People's Hospital of Huzhou City, Huzhou, Zhejiang, China.
Weiyun ShenHuzhou Key Laboratory of Translational Medicine, First Affiliated Hospital of Huzhou Normal University, Huzhou, Zhejiang, China.
Fengqi LiuDepartment of Critical Care Medicine, First Affiliated Hospital of Huzhou Normal University, First People's Hospital of Huzhou City, Huzhou, Zhejiang, China.
Siqi ZhangDepartment of Critical Care Medicine, First Affiliated Hospital of Huzhou Normal University, First People's Hospital of Huzhou City, Huzhou, Zhejiang, China.
Xinmin LiDepartment of Clinical Laboratory, Chongqing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chongqing, China. xinmnli@163.com.
Yong LiDepartment of Clinical Laboratory, First Affiliated Hospital of Huzhou Normal University, First People's Hospital of Huzhou City, Huzhou, Zhejiang, China. a821182777@qq.com.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0006-2138-4594

Funding

Innovative Research Group Project of the National Natural Science Foundation of China 82202649the Huzhou Science and Technology Plan Project 2025GY104the Huzhou Science and Technology Plan Project 2025GYB26the Zhejiang Provincial Medical and Health Science and Technology Program 2023KY318the Zhejiang Provincial Medical and Health Science and Technology Program 2025KY1556
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundTumor-associated neutrophils (TANs) display functional plasticity in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD), but subsets linked to immune exclusion are poorly defined.

methodsWe integrated single-cell RNA-seq, spatial transcriptomics, and bulk multi-omics data to characterize neutrophil heterogeneity in LUAD. Key findings were validated by immunofluorescence co-localization and qPCR on clinical blood and isolated neutrophils.

resultsNeutrophils exhibited the highest scores for an EMT-associated transcriptional program and immune exclusion among all immune cell types. A distinct JUNB+ neutrophil subpopulation was spatially enriched in immune-excluded tumor regions and correlated with unfavorable prognosis. Spatial transcriptomic analysis revealed a significant positive correlation between JUNB expression and neutrophil marker module scores across tissue spots (Pearson r = 0.216 and 0.205, P = 1.84 × 10^-10 and 9.06 × 10^-11). Immunofluorescence confirmed JUNB protein co-localization with CD66b+ neutrophils in LUAD tissues (54.3% ± 8.2% of CD66b+ cells JUNB +). qPCR revealed specific upregulation of JUNB mRNA in circulating neutrophils from LUAD patients, whereas no difference was observed in whole blood.

conclusionThis study identifies JUNB as a marker of a neutrophil state associated with immune exclusion and poor prognosis in LUAD. The neutrophil-specific upregulation of JUNB highlights its potential as a circulating biomarker for TAN-mediated immunosuppression, which warrants validation in prospective cohorts.

Indexed as

Adenocarcinoma of LungLung NeoplasmsNeutrophilsTranscription FactorsAntigens, CDCell Adhesion MoleculesFemaleGPI-Linked ProteinsHumansMaleSingle-Cell AnalysisSingle-Cell Gene Expression AnalysisSpatial TranscriptomicsTranscriptomeAntigens, CDCEACAM8 protein, humanCell Adhesion MoleculesGPI-Linked ProteinsJunB protein, humanTranscription FactorsEpithelial-mesenchymal transitionImmune exclusionLung adenocarcinomaNeutrophilsSpatial transcriptomics

Identifiers

PMID42836968

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