@article{TCR120064,
author = {Kai Fu and Lin Li and Ruyv Wang and Juan Li and Weiyi Wang},
title = {A multi-omics integration of bulk and single-cell transcriptomics identifies and validates a 16-gene epithelial-mesenchymal transition prognostic signature in tongue squamous cell carcinoma},
journal = {Translational Cancer Research},
volume = {15},
number = {7},
year = {2026},
keywords = {},
abstract = {Background: Tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC) is a highly aggressive malignancy associated with unfavorable clinical outcomes, highlighting the critical need for dependable prognostic indicators. The epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a fundamental biological process driving cancer progression. This study aimed to develop and independently validate an EMT-associated gene expression signature for predicting prognosis in TSCC through a multi-omics strategy.Methods: We analyzed bulk RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) data from The Cancer Genome Atlas-TSCC (TCGA-TSCC, n=138) and the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO, GSE41613, n=97). EMT-related differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified by intersecting DEGs from TSCC samples with a curated EMT gene set. Prognostic genes were subsequently selected using univariate Cox proportional hazards regression followed by least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO)-Cox regression to construct a risk score model. The predictive performance of this model was assessed in the independent GEO validation cohort. Further analyses included functional enrichment, immune cell infiltration profiling (using CIBERSORT), and tumor mutation burden (TMB) evaluation. Single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) data from 12 oral cancer samples were analyzed to validate gene expression patterns at the cellular level and to investigate intercellular communication networks (using CellChat).Results: A prognostic signature comprising 16 EMT-related genes (including MMP13, HOXA1, ANO1, DKK1, PLK1, among others) was successfully established. Patients stratified into high- and low-risk groups based on this signature exhibited significantly divergent overall survival (P},
issn = {2219-6803}, url = {https://tcr.amegroups.org/article/view/120064}
}