<i>CD146⁺</i> CAFs mediate immunosuppression in gastric cancer via COL4A1: potential therapeutic targets.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The immunomodulatory roles of cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) in gastric cancer have been increasingly recognized. This study aimed to identify specific CAF subpopulations and to elucidate the mechanisms underlying their immunosuppressive effects.

Methods

We developed a single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) protocol to enrich CAFs and matched normal fibroblasts (NFs) from stomach tissues. Bioinformatics analyses, along with in vitro and in vivo experiments, were performed to functionally validate a distinct CAF subset.

Results

We profiled 8,322 high-quality fibroblasts from nine patient-matched tumor and adjacent normal tissue pairs. A unique CAF subset, CD146⁺ CAFs, was identified. CD146⁺ CAFs were significantly en

SUBMITTER: Chen J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12718570 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature