CD45⁺ hybrid circulating cells may reflect tumor-immune interactions and serve as transcriptomic indicators of metastatic potential in prostate cancer.

ABSTRACT: Rationale: Circulating hybrid cells expressing both epithelial and immune markers have emerged as indicators of dynamic tumor-immune interactions. This study aimed to characterize circulating hybrid cells co-expressing KRT18 (pan-cytokeratin) and PTPRC (CD45), termed KP_Pos, in metastatic prostate cancer (mPCa), and to assess their molecular features, tumor microenvironmental (TME) origins, and clinical relevance. Methods: Imaging mass cytometry (IMC) was used to examine spatial relationships between CK⁺ tumor and CD45⁺ immune cells in metastatic prostate tissues. Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) datasets from mPCa were analyzed to identify KP_Pos cells and characterize their transcriptional heterogeneity across epithelial and immune lineages. Differential

SUBMITTER: Kim BG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12679700 | biostudies-literature | 2026

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature