Discovering cancer stem-like molecule, nuclear factor I X, using spatial transcriptome in gastric cancer.
Akira IshikawaTakafumi FukuiAya KidoNarutaka KatsuyaKazuya KuraokaNaohiro UraokaTakahisa SuzukiShiro OkaTakahiro KotachiHassan AshktorabDuane SmootWataru YasuiPublished in: Cancer science (2024)
Gastric cancer (GC) is characterized by significant intratumoral heterogeneity, and stem cells are promising therapeutic targets. Despite advancements in spatial transcriptome analyses, unexplored targets for addressing cancer stemness remain unknown. This study aimed to identify Nuclear Factor IX (NFIX) as a critical regulator of cancer stemness in GC and evaluate its clinicopathological significance and function. Spatial transcriptome analysis of GC was conducted. The correlation between NFIX expression, clinicopathological factors, and prognosis was assessed using immunostaining in 127 GC cases. Functional analyses of cancer cell lines validated these findings. Spatial transcriptome analysis stratified GC tissues based on genetic profiles, identified CSC-like cells, and further refined the classification to identify and highlight the significance of NFIX, as validated by Monocle 3 and CytoTRACE analyses. Knockdown experiments in cancer cell lines have demonstrated the involvement of NFIX in cancer cell proliferation and kinase activity. This study underscores the role of spatial transcriptome analysis in refining GC tissue classification and identifying therapeutic targets, highlighting NFIX as a pivotal factor. NFIX expression is correlated with poor prognosis and drives GC progression, suggesting its potential as a novel therapeutic target for personalized GC therapies.
Keyphrases
- poor prognosis
- papillary thyroid
- stem cells
- nuclear factor
- squamous cell
- cell proliferation
- gene expression
- toll like receptor
- long non coding rna
- single cell
- gas chromatography
- genome wide
- squamous cell carcinoma
- epithelial mesenchymal transition
- childhood cancer
- deep learning
- bone marrow
- high resolution
- young adults
- cell therapy
- dna methylation
- liquid chromatography
- tandem mass spectrometry