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Updated: Feb 14, 2026
Preparation and Gene Modification of Nonhuman Primate Hematopoietic Stem and Progenitor Cells
Published on: February 15, 2019
Comprehensive Characterization of Stem Cell Landscape Identifies Novel Stemness-Relevant Genes for Nasopharyngeal
Dahua Xu1,2, Bocen Chen3, Yutong Shen1,2
1School of Intelligent Medicine and Technology, Big Data Research Center, Hainan General Hospital and Hainan Affiliated Hospital, Hainan Medical University, Haikou 571199, China.
Background:
Metastasis and recurrence account for the failure of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) treatment. Growing evidence indicates the dominant roles of cancer stem cells (CSCs) in tumor progression and therapy resistance. However, the heterogeneity of CSCs and potential stemness-related markers in NPC patients are still largely unknown.
Methods:
Consensus clustering was first applied to identify robust stemness subtypes for NPC patients based on the activities of stem cell gene sets. The differences in clinical outcomes, tumor immune microenvironment (TIME), and drug response were compared between subtypes. The stemness-related markers were prioritized via weighted gene correlation network analysis (WGCNA) and Cox regression, and verified through in vitro experiments.
Results:
NPC patients were classified into C1 and C2 subtypes. The C2 subtype exhibited higher activities of stem cell gene sets, worse prognosis, and aggressive tumor progression thus defined as stem cell-like tumor phenotype. The exclusionary relationships between tumor stemness and TIME infiltration were observed. The efficacy of several drugs and immunotherapy varied between NPC stemness subtypes. Through the WGCNA and survival analysis, we found that PSMC3IP, NABP2, CDC45, and HJURP were stemness-relevant genes. Sphere formation assays and analysis of the protein expression of stem cell markers by Western blotting revealed the roles of PSMC3IP, NABP2, CDC45, and HJURP in promoting CSC properties. Moreover, these genes were found to be related to the therapeutic effect of telomerase inhibitor in CCK8 experiments.
Conclusions:
This study systematically characterized two NPC subtypes with distinct stemness features, clinical outcomes, and TIME features. Novel stemness-related markers will provide valuable targets against metastatic or recurrent NPC.
Insights
This study identifies two nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) subtypes, revealing distinct stemness features and immune microenvironment characteristics. Novel stemness markers offer potential therapeutic targets for aggressive NPC.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Cancer Stem Cell Biology
- Immunogenomics
Background:
- Metastasis and recurrence are key challenges in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) treatment.
- Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are implicated in NPC progression and therapy resistance.
- NPC patient CSC heterogeneity and stemness markers remain poorly understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify distinct stemness subtypes in NPC patients.
- To investigate the clinical outcomes, tumor immune microenvironment (TIME), and drug responses associated with these subtypes.
- To discover novel stemness-related markers for NPC.
Main Methods:
- Consensus clustering based on stem cell gene set activity.
- Weighted gene correlation network analysis (WGCNA) and Cox regression for marker identification.
- In vitro validation including sphere formation assays and Western blotting.
Main Results:
- Two NPC subtypes (C1 and C2) were identified, with C2 exhibiting higher stemness, poorer prognosis, and aggressive tumor progression.
- An inverse correlation between tumor stemness and TIME infiltration was observed.
- PSMC3IP, NABP2, CDC45, and HJURP were identified as stemness-relevant genes promoting CSC properties and influencing therapeutic response.
Conclusions:
- Two distinct NPC subtypes with differing stemness, clinical, and TIME features were characterized.
- Identified stemness markers provide potential therapeutic targets for overcoming NPC metastasis and recurrence.
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