TMEM176B orchestrates intratumoral hierarchy and immunosuppression in hepatocellular carcinoma: Insights from single-cell transcriptomics

Abstract

Highlights • Single-cell landscape:High-resolution mapping of 52,384 cells uncovers hierarchical intra-tumor heterogeneity in HCC.• Key molecule discovery:TMEM176B is identified as the link between tumor malignancy hierarchy and immune remodeling.• Poor prognosis marker: TMEM176B low expression correlates with reduced overall survival (p = 0.021).• Functional validation: TMEM176B overexpression inhibits tumor growth; positively correlates with CXCL9/10 and PD-L1/CTLA-4.