Integrated single-cell and bulk RNA sequencing reveals prognostic and immunotherapy-associated myofibroblastic cancer-associated fibroblast subtypes in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are involved in some critical aspects of the pathogenesis of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), including the formation of a tumor-permissive extracellular matrix (ECM) structure, angiogenesis, and the immune and metabolic reprogramming of the tumor microenvironment (TME). This study aimed to examine the plasticity and metabolic heterogeneity of CAFs in HNSCC patients before and after immunotherapy.

Methods

An integrated single-cell and bulk RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) analysis based on data from the GSE195832, GSE65868, and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA)-HNSCC datasets was conducted. The functional plasticity and transcriptome diversity of the categorized CAF subtypes were analyzed using the DoRothEA tool and scMetabo

SUBMITTER: Qiu X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12268884 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature