Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40952000›Full record

ArticlemSystems2025

Effect of immune-related intratumoral microbiota and host gene expression on cancer prognosis.

Qingzhen Fu, Ning Zhao, Xia Li, Yanbing Li, Tian Tian, Lijing Gao, Yukun Cao, Liwan Wang, Jinyin Liu, Fan Wang and 3 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in mSystems, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors.

Qingzhen FuDepartment of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, P.R. China.
Ning ZhaoDepartment of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, P.R. China.
Xia LiDepartment of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, P.R. China.
Yanbing LiDepartment of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, P.R. China.
Tian TianDepartment of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, P.R. China.
Lijing GaoDepartment of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, P.R. China.
Yukun CaoDepartment of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, P.R. China.
Liwan WangDepartment of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, P.R. China.
Jinyin LiuDepartment of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, P.R. China.
Fan WangDepartment of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, P.R. China.ORCID 0000-0002-9869-9504
Yanlong LiuDepartment of Colorectal Surgery, Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, Harbin, P.R. China.ORCID 0000-0002-4790-7924
Binbin CuiDepartment of Colorectal Surgery, Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, Harbin, P.R. China.ORCID 0009-0006-4089-8574
Yashuang ZhaoDepartment of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, P.R. China.ORCID 0000-0002-7425-5773

Funding

National Natural Science Foundation of China 82373668Natural Science Foundation of Heilongjiang Province LH2023H018
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The intratumoral microbiota has been identified as an indispensable part of the tumor microenvironment (TME). However, the relationship between the intratumoral microbiota and host gene expression, as well as its impact on prognosis and TME immunity, remains unclear. We utilized a machine learning-based framework to identify microbiota-host gene associations across 14 tumors from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and validated them in 11 tumors from the Gene Expression Omnibus. By calculating immune scores and identifying immune-related microbiota, we developed both a pan-cancer Immune and Prognosis-Related Microbial Score (IPRMS) and cancer-specific IPRMSs and analyzed the relationship between the cancer-specific IPRMSs and immune infiltration at bulk level and single-cell level. Furthermore, we systematically analyzed the potential mechanisms in which the intratumoral microbiota might affect prognosis using survival mediation analyses (SMAs). We identified gene subsets associated with microbiota, which were predominantly enriched in immune-related and cell signaling regulation pathways. Subsequently, we constructed the overall survival-related IPRMS and found that high-IPRMS patients had poorer prognosis in pan-cancer and increased presence of macrophage and cancer-associated fibroblasts. In contrast, low-IPRMS patients showed enrichment in tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes. SMAs suggest that intratumoral microbiota may influence prognosis by affecting immune cells, pathways, and host genes. High-IPRMSs were consistently associated with poorer prognosis and lower abundance of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes. At the single-cell level, cancer-associated fibroblasts were predominantly enriched in the high-IPRMS group, while tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes were also mainly enriched in the low-IPRMS group. Our research indicates that the intratumoral microbiota was associated with immune and prognosis, which may impact the cancer prognosis by modifying immune cells, pathways, and host gene expression. IMPORTANCE: The intratumoral microbiota is a vital part of the tumor microenvironment, yet its interplay with host gene expression and immune regulation remains unclear. Based on a machine learning framework for the interaction analysis of intratumoral microbiota and host genes, as well as the construction of the Immune and Prognosis-Related Microbial Score, our findings suggest that intratumoral microbiota may influence gene expression by affecting host pathways, especially immune-related pathways. Moreover, immune-related intratumoral microbiota are significantly associated with patient survival and TME immunity and may influence prognosis by affecting immune cells, pathways, or gene expression, offering new perspectives and potential biomarkers for predicting personalized patient prognosis in the future.

Indexed as

Gene Expression Regulation, NeoplasticMicrobiotaNeoplasmsTumor MicroenvironmentHumansLymphocytes, Tumor-InfiltratingMachine LearningPrognosishost gene expressionimmunityintratumoral microbiotaprognosissingle cellsurvival mediation associationTCGA

Identifiers

PMID40952000
PMCPMC12542631

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.