{
  "abstract": "Introduction: The spatial organization of epithelial states relative to stromal and myeloid cells in gastric cancer remains incompletely understood.\n\nMethods: We integrated single-cell RNA-sequencing data from 36 normal and tumor tissue samples (GSE183904) with Visium spatial transcriptomics (GSE251950). Cell-state signatures were evaluated in TCGA-STAD (n = 375), and multiplex immunohistochemistry was performed on specimens from three patients.\n\nResults: Epi4_AKR1C3 and FB3_ACTA2 showed nominal enrichment in tumor tissues, whereas Mac2_SPP1 showed no significant compositional difference between normal and tumor tissues. Higher signature scores for these three states were nominally associated with shorter overall survival (log-rank P = 0.044, 0.019, and 0.048, respectively), although none remained significant after multiple-testing correction. Spatial deconvolution identified regions of co-enrichment, and multiplex immunohistochemistry provided proof-of-concept evidence of close spatial proximity among the corresponding marker-defined populations.\n\nDiscussion: These findings identify a candidate AKR1C3-associated epithelial–stromal–myeloid spatial configuration in gastric cancer. Further mechanistic studies are needed to validate its biological and clinical significance.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Zhangjiagang Hospital Affiliated to Soochow University/The First People's Hospital of Zhangjiagang City",
    "Multi-Omics Platform, Capital Medical University Innovation Center"
  ],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 4,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Jingjing Yang"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Yixuan Dai"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Jianpeng Sheng"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Rong Xu"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/9z0zb785nkpkg.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.3389/fonc.2026.1965632",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "9z0zb785nkpkg",
  "issns": [
    "2234-943X"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fonc.2026.1965632/full",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "1312|Single-cell and spatial transcriptomics"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7224096485",
  "pdf_url": "https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/oncology/articles/10.3389/fonc.2026.1965632/pdf",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-28",
  "publisher": "Frontiers Media SA",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/9z0zb785nkpkg.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:20:14Z",
      "native_id": "10.3389/fonc.2026.1965632",
      "source": "crossref",
      "url": "https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fonc.2026.1965632/full"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biochemistry",
      "origin": "openalex:1312|Single-cell and spatial transcriptomics",
      "subfield": "molecular-biology"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Spatial association of an AKR1C3-positive epithelial state with ACTA2-positive stromal cells and SPP1-positive macrophages in gastric cancer",
  "title_text": "Spatial association of an AKR1C3-positive epithelial state with ACTA2-positive stromal cells and SPP1-positive macrophages in gastric cancer",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:20:14Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/9z0zb785nkpkg",
  "venue": "Frontiers in Oncology",
  "versions": []
}