Construction of prognostic features associated with the tumor microenvironment and endothelial cells in cervical cancer by combining single-cell and transcriptomic data and PCR validation

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Abstract Cervical cancer (CC) ranks among the most common gynecological malignancies. This study aimed to investigate the prognostic value of genes associated with tumor ecosystem (TES) and endothelial cells in CC. Key cells were identified through the analysis of single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) associated with TES were intersected with marker genes associated with key cells to identify candidate genes. Prognostic genes were selected through analyses such as univariate regression and machine learning. A nomogram was constructed and validated. Immune cell infiltration profiles were assessed using the CIBERSORT algorithm. scRNA-seq analysis identified endothelial cells as key cells. The intersection of marker genes associated with key cells and DEGs associated with TES yielded 17 candidate genes. Five prognostic genes (ALKBH2, CXCL1, TFPI2, PLAU, and CXCL8) were identified through analyses such as machine learning algorithms. A nomogram model exhibited high sensitivity and specificity. Immune infiltration analysis identified 7 types of differential immune cells, including plasma B cells, Macrophage M0, activated mast cells, resting myeloid dendritic cells, and others. These findings collectively provided novel insights into the molecular mechanisms and immune microenvironment characteristics underlying TES, laying a foundation for the development of potential therapeutic targets and prognostic biomarkers.
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Construction of prognostic features associated with the tumor microenvironment and endothelial cells in cervical cancer by combining single-cell and transcriptomic data and PCR validation | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Construction of prognostic features associated with the tumor microenvironment and endothelial cells in cervical cancer by combining single-cell and transcriptomic data and PCR validation Yinzhuoyang A, Dongyan Ren, Yulin Zhang, Tao Yu, Guoqiao Zhang This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8884166/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 10 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Cervical cancer (CC) ranks among the most common gynecological malignancies. This study aimed to investigate the prognostic value of genes associated with tumor ecosystem (TES) and endothelial cells in CC. Key cells were identified through the analysis of single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) associated with TES were intersected with marker genes associated with key cells to identify candidate genes. Prognostic genes were selected through analyses such as univariate regression and machine learning. A nomogram was constructed and validated. Immune cell infiltration profiles were assessed using the CIBERSORT algorithm. scRNA-seq analysis identified endothelial cells as key cells. The intersection of marker genes associated with key cells and DEGs associated with TES yielded 17 candidate genes. Five prognostic genes (ALKBH2, CXCL1, TFPI2, PLAU, and CXCL8) were identified through analyses such as machine learning algorithms. A nomogram model exhibited high sensitivity and specificity. Immune infiltration analysis identified 7 types of differential immune cells, including plasma B cells, Macrophage M0, activated mast cells, resting myeloid dendritic cells, and others. These findings collectively provided novel insights into the molecular mechanisms and immune microenvironment characteristics underlying TES, laying a foundation for the development of potential therapeutic targets and prognostic biomarkers. cervical cancer prognostic genes tumour ecosystems endothelial cells PCR Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Supplementary Files OnlineResource6.xlsx OnlineResource1.xlsx OnlineResource10.xlsx OnlineResource14.xlsx OnlineResource3.xlsx OnlineResource2.xlsx OnlineResource5.xlsx OnlineResource8.tif OnlineResource12.tif OnlineResource9.tif OnlineResource13.tif OnlineResource4.tif OnlineResource11.tif OnlineResource7.tif Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Reviews received at journal 18 May, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 18 May, 2026 Reviews received at journal 03 May, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 30 Apr, 2026 Reviews received at journal 19 Mar, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 19 Mar, 2026 Reviewers invited by journal 18 Mar, 2026 Editor assigned by journal 09 Mar, 2026 Submission checks completed at journal 08 Mar, 2026 First submitted to journal 08 Mar, 2026 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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