Sialic acid metabolism-based classification reveals novel metabolic subtypes with distinct characteristics of tumor microenvironment and clinical outcomes in gastric cancer

Bibliographic Details
Title: Sialic acid metabolism-based classification reveals novel metabolic subtypes with distinct characteristics of tumor microenvironment and clinical outcomes in gastric cancer
Authors: Junjie Jiang, Yiran Chen, Yangyang Zheng, Yongfeng Ding, Haiyong Wang, Quan Zhou, Lisong Teng, Xiaofeng Zhang
Source: Cancer Cell International, Vol 25, Iss 1, Pp 1-19 (2025)
Publisher Information: BMC, 2025.
Publication Year: 2025
Collection: LCC:Neoplasms. Tumors. Oncology. Including cancer and carcinogens
LCC:Cytology
Subject Terms: Sialic acid metabolism, Gastric cancer, Prognosis, Metabolic classification, Tumor immune microenvironment, Neoplasms. Tumors. Oncology. Including cancer and carcinogens, RC254-282, Cytology, QH573-671
More Details: Abstract Background High heterogeneity in gastric cancer (GC) remains a challenge for standard treatments and prognosis prediction. Dysregulation of sialic acid metabolism (SiaM) is recognized as a key metabolic hallmark of tumor immune evasion and metastasis. Herein, we aimed to develop a SiaM-based metabolic classification in GC. Methods SiaM-related genes were obtained from the MsigDB database. Bulk and single-cell transcriptional data of 956 GC patients were acquired from the GEO, TCGA, and MEDLINE databases. Proteomic profiles of 20 GC samples were derived from our institution. The consensus clustering algorithm was applied to identify SiaM-based clusters. The SiaM-based model was established via LASSO regression and evaluated via Kaplan‒Meier curve and ROC curve analyses. In vitro and in vivo experiments were conducted to explore the function of ST3GAL1 in GC. Results Three SiaM clusters presented distinct patterns of clinicopathological features, transcriptomic alterations, and tumor immune microenvironment landscapes in GC. Compared with clusters A and B, cluster C presented elevated SiaM activity, higher metastatic potential, more abundant immunosuppressive features, and a worse prognosis. Based on the differentially expressed genes between these clusters, a risk model for six genes (ARHGAP6, ST3GAL1, ADAM28, C7, PLCL1, and TTC28) was then constructed. The model exhibited robust performance in predicting peritoneal metastasis and prognosis in four independent cohorts. As a hub gene in the model, ST3GAL1 promoted GC cell migration and invasion in vitro and in vivo. Conclusions Our study proposed a novel SiaM-based classification that identified three metabolic subtypes with distinct characteristics of tumor microenvironment and clinical outcomes in GC.
Document Type: article
File Description: electronic resource
Language: English
ISSN: 1475-2867
Relation: https://doaj.org/toc/1475-2867
DOI: 10.1186/s12935-025-03695-0
Access URL: https://doaj.org/article/74c5519e188d4fd892ef4b6a2d4b3317
Accession Number: edsdoj.74c5519e188d4fd892ef4b6a2d4b3317
Database: Directory of Open Access Journals
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More Details
ISSN:14752867
DOI:10.1186/s12935-025-03695-0
Published in:Cancer Cell International
Language:English