Identification of CAF signature genes and construction of CAF-based risk signature in hepatocellular carcinoma by multi-omics analysis.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) play a critical role in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) progression. This study aimed to develop a CAF-based risk signature model for predicting prognosis and identifying potential therapeutic targets.

Methods

Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) and spatial transcriptomic RNA (stRNA) were employed to identify CAF signature genes and their spatial distribution in HCC tissues. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was used to validate candidate protein expression. A CAFs-based risk signature model was developed using multivariate Cox regression. Functional experiments were performed to evaluate the role of OLFML2B in the effects of CAFs on HepG2 cell proliferation and invasion.

Results

scRNA-seq analysis of dataset GSE242889 found

SUBMITTER: Qian W 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12591973 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature