Integrated multi-omics reveals the cellular and molecular interactions governing the invasive niche in skin cancer II

However, the heterogeneity of cell types at the tumor-stroma interface and the complexity of their potential interactions hampered mechanistic insights for efficient therapeutic targeting. Here, combining single-cell and spatial transcriptomics on human basal cell carcinomas (BCCs), we define the cellular contributors of the invasive front.

In the invasive niche, tumor cells harbor a collective migration phenotype, supported by the expression of cell-cell junction complexes. In physical proximity, we identify cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) with extracellular matrix-remodeling features, as required to support collective migration. Moreover, while tumor cells specifically express Activin A, we find Activin A-induced gene signature enrichment in adjacent CAFs subpopulations, further supporting their biological crosstalk.