Volume 33, Issue 8 e15121
RESEARCH ARTICLE

Cellular and molecular landscape of primary dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans: Insights from single-cell RNA sequencing analysis

Rui Peng

Rui Peng

Department of Dermatology, School of Clinical Medicine, Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China

Photomedicine Laboratory, Institute of Precision Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China

Search for more papers by this author
Yingyi Li

Yingyi Li

Department of Dermatology, School of Clinical Medicine, Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China

Photomedicine Laboratory, Institute of Precision Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China

Search for more papers by this author
Yumei Gao

Yumei Gao

Department of Dermatology, School of Clinical Medicine, Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China

Photomedicine Laboratory, Institute of Precision Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China

Search for more papers by this author
Dian Chen

Dian Chen

Department of Dermatology, School of Clinical Medicine, Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China

Photomedicine Laboratory, Institute of Precision Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China

Search for more papers by this author
Zhenghui Li

Zhenghui Li

Department of Dermatology, School of Clinical Medicine, Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China

Photomedicine Laboratory, Institute of Precision Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China

Search for more papers by this author
Yi Zhao

Corresponding Author

Yi Zhao

Department of Dermatology, School of Clinical Medicine, Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China

Photomedicine Laboratory, Institute of Precision Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China

Correspondence

Yi Zhao, Department of Dermatology, School of Clinical Medicine, Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital, Tsinghua University, Litang Road No 168, Changping District, Beijing 102218, China.

Email: [email protected]

Search for more papers by this author
First published: 30 July 2024
Citations: 1

Rui Peng and Yingyi Li should be considered joint first author.

Abstract

Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (DFSP) is a rare cutaneous sarcoma characterized by the COL1A1-PDGFB fusion gene. This study utilized single-cell RNA sequencing to dissect the cellular and molecular landscape of primary DFSP. Distinct DFSP cell clusters, exhibiting fibroblast-like traits, revealed variations in pathways associated with proliferation, inflammation and metabolism. Differential gene expression analysis during the differentiation from tumour stem cells to DFSP cells unveiled SMOC2, DCN and TGFBR3 as potential regulators of tumour invasion and immune infiltration through VEGF/TGF-β signalling modulation. Cellular communication analysis highlighted interactions within DFSP cell clusters and with endothelial cells, implicating molecules such as NAMPT, ANGPT2 and PTN in pathogenesis and treatment resistance. These findings offer insights into DFSP intratumour heterogeneity, elucidate molecular mechanisms underlying tumour behaviour, and suggest potential therapeutic targets.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST STATEMENT

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

The full text of this article hosted at iucr.org is unavailable due to technical difficulties.