Zhongshan-BGI Precision Medical Center, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
BGI-Southwest, BGI-Shenzhen, Chongqing, China.
Cell Res. 2023 Aug;33(8):585-603. doi: 10.1038/s41422-023-00831-1. Epub 2023 Jun 19.
Dissecting and understanding the cancer ecosystem, especially that around the tumor margins, which have strong implications for tumor cell infiltration and invasion, are essential for exploring the mechanisms of tumor metastasis and developing effective new treatments. Using a novel tumor border scanning and digitization model enabled by nanoscale resolution-SpaTial Enhanced REsolution Omics-sequencing (Stereo-seq), we identified a 500 µm-wide zone centered around the tumor border in patients with liver cancer, referred to as "the invasive zone". We detected strong immunosuppression, metabolic reprogramming, and severely damaged hepatocytes in this zone. We also identified a subpopulation of damaged hepatocytes with increased expression of serum amyloid A1 and A2 (referred to collectively as SAAs) located close to the border on the paratumor side. Overexpression of CXCL6 in adjacent malignant cells could induce activation of the JAK-STAT3 pathway in nearby hepatocytes, which subsequently caused SAAs' overexpression in these hepatocytes. Furthermore, overexpression and secretion of SAAs by hepatocytes in the invasive zone could lead to the recruitment of macrophages and M2 polarization, further promoting local immunosuppression, potentially resulting in tumor progression. Clinical association analysis in additional five independent cohorts of patients with primary and secondary liver cancer (n = 423) showed that patients with overexpression of SAAs in the invasive zone had a worse prognosis. Further in vivo experiments using mouse liver tumor models in situ confirmed that the knockdown of genes encoding SAAs in hepatocytes decreased macrophage accumulation around the tumor border and delayed tumor growth. The identification and characterization of a novel invasive zone in human cancer patients not only add an important layer of understanding regarding the mechanisms of tumor invasion and metastasis, but may also pave the way for developing novel therapeutic strategies for advanced liver cancer and other solid tumors.
剖析和理解癌症生态系统,特别是肿瘤边缘周围的生态系统,对研究肿瘤细胞浸润和侵袭的机制以及开发有效的新治疗方法具有重要意义。利用纳米级分辨率的空间增强分辨率组学测序(Stereo-seq),我们建立了一种新的肿瘤边界扫描和数字化模型,在肝癌患者中鉴定出以肿瘤边界为中心、宽约 500µm 的区域,称为“侵袭区”。我们在这个区域中检测到强烈的免疫抑制、代谢重编程和严重受损的肝细胞。我们还在肿瘤旁侧边界附近发现了一个具有损伤的肝细胞亚群,其血清淀粉样蛋白 A1 和 A2(统称为 SAAs)表达增加。相邻恶性细胞中 CXCL6 的过表达可诱导附近肝细胞中 JAK-STAT3 通路的激活,进而导致这些肝细胞中 SAAs 的过表达。此外,侵袭区肝细胞中 SAAs 的过表达和分泌可导致巨噬细胞的募集和 M2 极化,进一步促进局部免疫抑制,可能导致肿瘤进展。在另外五组原发性和继发性肝癌患者(n=423)的独立队列中进行临床关联分析显示,侵袭区中 SAAs 过表达的患者预后更差。使用原位小鼠肝肿瘤模型的进一步体内实验证实,肝细胞中编码 SAAs 的基因敲低可减少肿瘤边界周围巨噬细胞的聚集并延缓肿瘤生长。在人类癌症患者中鉴定和描述这个新的侵袭区不仅为肿瘤侵袭和转移的机制增加了一个重要的理解层面,还可能为开发晚期肝癌和其他实体瘤的新治疗策略铺平道路。
J Hepatol. 2019-3-23
Adv Anat Embryol Cell Biol. 2001
BMC Cancer. 2023-5-1
Cell Commun Signal. 2021-9-14
Brief Bioinform. 2025-7-2
Cell Oncol (Dordr). 2025-8-25
Fundam Res. 2025-1-2
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2025-8-5
Front Oncol. 2025-6-19
Sci Adv. 2021-12-17
Science. 2021-12-17