Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41934482›Full record

ArticleJournal of cancer research and clinical oncology2026

OLFM4 orchestrates the immunosuppressive microenvironment and drives gallbladder cancer progression.

Wenxin Li, Kun Liu, Fan Yang, Huisi He, Wen Wen

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of cancer research and clinical oncology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Wenxin Li *National Center for Liver Cancer, Third Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University (Second Military Medical University), 225 Changhai Road, Shanghai, 200438, China.
Kun Liu *National Center for Liver Cancer, Third Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University (Second Military Medical University), 225 Changhai Road, Shanghai, 200438, China.
Fan Yang *National Center for Liver Cancer, Third Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University (Second Military Medical University), 225 Changhai Road, Shanghai, 200438, China.
Huisi HeNational Center for Liver Cancer, Third Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University (Second Military Medical University), 225 Changhai Road, Shanghai, 200438, China. huisihe@smmu.edu.cn.
Wen WenDepartment of Laboratory Diagnosis, Third Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University (Second Military Medical University), 225 Changhai Road, Shanghai, 200438, China. wenwen_smmu@163.com.

Funding

National Key Research and Development Program of China,China SQ2025YFA1300039National Natural Science Foundation of China,China 82472914National Natural Science Foundation of China,China 82503356Shanghai Sailing Program 24YF2758400
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeGallbladder cancer (GBC) is the most common biliary tract malignancy, characterized by complex microenvironment and poor prognosis. Olfactomedin-4 (OLFM4) has been identified as a key regulator of GBC progression. This study aims to comprehensively elucidate the molecular profiling, tumor microenvironment (TME) and underlying mechanisms through which OLFM4 drives GBC progression.

methodsSingle-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) was performed on tumor tissues and adjacent non-tumor tissues (ANT) from clinical GBC samples. We analyzed scRNA-seq data to characterize the landscape of heterogeneous TME and intricate intercellular communication networks of the single cells within GBC. Findings were validated through in vitro experiments.

resultsCompared with ANT, GBC exhibited a distinct remodeling of the tumor microenvironment. Specifically, epithelial cells were markedly enriched in GBC (18.2% vs. 11.6% in ANT), accompanied by a pronounced reduction in endothelial cells (2.4% vs. 9.7%). In parallel, myeloid cells decreased from 16.8% in ANT to 11.5% in GBC, while fibroblasts remained comparably abundant in both conditions (21.1%). Within the OLFM4+epithelium, there was a significant enrichment of genes and pathways related to malignant progression, including signatures driving cell proliferation, stemness maintenance (WNT/β-catenin), and metastasis, as well as crucial molecules involved in TME remodeling (SPP1, TGF-β). Pseudotemporal trajectory analysis revealed an upregulation of OLFM4 expression correlating with disease progression, suggesting its close association with malignant transition. Cell-cell communication analysis identified OLFM4+epithelial cells as central signaling hubs, primarily communicating with stromal and immune cells via the SPP1-CD44 and SPP1-Integrin axes. Importantly, OLFM4 knockdown inhibited cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and gemcitabine chemoresistance in vitro, underscoring its central role in GBC progression.

conclusionThese findings offer a comprehensive insight into the atlas of molecular signatures and TME within GBC, identifying OLFM4 as a potential biomarker and therapeutic target for GBC.

Indexed as

Gallbladder NeoplasmsGranulocyte Colony-Stimulating FactorTumor MicroenvironmentCell Line, TumorCell ProliferationDisease ProgressionFemaleGene Expression Regulation, NeoplasticHumansSingle-Cell Gene Expression AnalysisGranulocyte Colony-Stimulating FactorOLFM4 protein, humanGallbladder cancerOlfactomedin-4single-cell RNA sequencingtumor microenvironment

Identifiers

PMID41934482
PMCPMC13050350

What Socratic holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

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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.