Spatially distinct reprogramming of the tumor microenvironment based on tumor invasion in diffuse-type gastric cancers

The invasive potential of gastric cancers (GCs) defines the hallmarks of malignancies; however, the cellular components and their molecular features associated with tumor invasiveness in GC microenvironments (TME) are poorly understood. In this study, we constructed a comprehensive atlas of 23,060 single cells obtained from surgically dissected superficial and deep layers of five diffuse-type GC along with matched normal. As a result, seven major cell types were identified. Fibroblasts, endothelial cells, and myeloid cells were categorized as being enriched in the deep layers. Cell type-specific clustering further revealed that the superficial-to-deep layer transition is associated with enrichment in inflammatory endothelial cells and fibroblasts with upregulated CCL2 transcripts. This study reveals the spatial reprogramming of the TME that may underlie invasive tumor potential in diffuse-type GC. This TME profiling across tumor layers suggests new targets, such as CCL2, that can modify the TME to inhibit tumor progression in diffuse-type GC. Overall design: A scRNAseq analysis of 30,365 cells from diffuse-type gastric cancer using 10X Genomics.

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