A novel tumor-progressing fibroblast signature derived from single-cell RNA sequencing enables prognostic stratification and reveals RNF11 as a functional regulator in bladder cancer.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are key drivers of tumor progression in bladder cancer (BLCA), yet their molecular heterogeneity and prognostic utility remain incompletely characterized. Single-cell studies have revealed distinct CAF subpopulations with divergent clinical impacts, necessitating refined prognostic frameworks that capture CAF-mediated progression.

Methods

We analyzed single-cell RNA sequencing data (GSE267718) from 8 BLCA patients to identify CAF populations and define progression-associated gene signatures. Using 359 TCGA-BLCA samples as the training cohort, we performed non-negative matrix factorization (NMF) consensus clustering on 85 prognostically significant CAF genes, identifying two molecular clusters with distinct survival outcomes. Th

SUBMITTER: Zhang M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12851964 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature