Transl Oncol. 2026 Sep 9;73:103020. doi: 10.1016/j.tranon.2026.103020. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The prognostic relevance of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)-colorectal cancer (CRC) shared host-microbe signatures in non-intestinal epithelial malignancies remains unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the prognostic and biological significance of an IBD-CRC shared host-microbe interactome signature in bladder urothelial carcinoma (BLCA).

METHODS: Gene set variation analysis (GSVA) was used to assess the activity of the IBD-CRC shared signature across The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) pan-cancer solid tumor cohorts, including lung, liver, colorectal, and urinary system tumors. In BLCA, weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO)-Cox regression were applied to construct a prognostic risk model, which was validated in independent transcriptomic cohorts. An attention-based multiple instance learning (MIL) model was developed to predict the LASSO-derived high- or low-risk group from H&E whole-slide images (WSIs), using TCGA cases for training and internal validation and an independent institutional cohort of 39 BLCA patients for external validation. Molecular subtype, immune infiltration, immunohistochemistry (IHC), machine learning, single nucleotide variation/copy number variation (SNV/CNV), single-cell/spatial transcriptomics, and WSI-based deep learning analyses were integrated to characterize the biological relevance of the signature.

RESULTS: High GSVA scores were significantly associated with poor prognosis in BLCA. The LASSO-derived high-risk group was enriched in basal/squamous molecular features and exhibited an immune-infiltrated but immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment, characterized by increased immunosuppressive cell infiltration and elevated immune checkpoint expression. Conventional IHC markers supported distinct subtype-related protein phenotypes between risk groups. Single-cell and spatial transcriptomic analyses revealed that malignant cells with high signature activity were enriched in Wnt, Hippo, and cell adhesion pathways. The WSI-based MIL model achieved an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.852 in the internal validation cohort. Machine learning and SNV/CNV analyses further characterized key molecular features associated with the LASSO risk score, including AKR1B1, LY6E, MEST, and others. Pan-cancer characterization of AKR1B1 across multiple malignancies, including lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD), liver hepatocellular carcinoma (LIHC), and kidney renal clear cell carcinoma (KIRC), revealed cancer-type-specific associations with immunosuppressive microenvironmental features and tumor stemness.

CONCLUSION: The IBD-CRC shared host-microbe signature has significant prognostic value in BLCA and is associated with basal/squamous differentiation, immunosuppressive microenvironmental features, genomic alteration patterns, and malignant cell functional heterogeneity. The integrated multi-omics framework and externally validated pathology AI model provide potential tools for BLCA risk stratification and biological interpretation.

PMID:42715652 | DOI:10.1016/j.tranon.2026.103020

Adv Sci (Weinh). 2026 May 26:e75839. doi: 10.1002/advs.75839. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC) lacks clearly defined key drivers and effective targeted therapies, reflecting an incomplete understanding of its molecular pathogenesis. Here, we identify SMAD4 as a critical regulator of three-dimensional (3D) genome organization in LUSC and uncover a mechanistic link between tumor suppressor loss and oncogenic transcriptional activation. By integrating clinical datasets, genetically engineered mouse models, human and murine LUSC cell lines, and multi-omics analyses, we demonstrate that SMAD4 deficiency promotes LUSC progression by unleashing EP300-mediated enhancer-promoter looping at the SOX2 locus. Mechanistically, SMAD4 does not directly bind SOX2 regulatory elements but instead constrains chromatin looping by sequestering EP300 away from loop anchor regions. Loss of SMAD4 leads to enhanced H3K27ac deposition, aberrant SOX2 activation, and increased LUSC tumor cell proliferation. Together, these findings reveal a non-canonical role for a transcription factor (e.g., SMAD4) in regulating dysregulated 3D genome architecture to inhibit tumor development.

PMID:42189071 | DOI:10.1002/advs.75839

EMBO Mol Med. 2026 Mar 30. doi: 10.1038/s44321-026-00410-y. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide, with lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC) comprising 20-30% of cases. Immunochemotherapy (IC) is the standard first-line treatment for advanced LUSC, yet reliable predictors of therapeutic response remain unavailable. Using single-cell multi-omics profiling of paired pre- and post-treatment tumor and blood samples, we observed that patients responding to IC exhibited significantly higher baseline levels of peripheral blood monocytes, tumor-infiltrating classical monocytes, and APOBEC3A+ monocytes across both compartments compared with non-responders. These associations were independently validated in additional cohorts using routine complete blood count testing and multiplex immunofluorescence analysis of native tumor tissues. Our findings reveal monocyte-related parameters as clinically accessible indicators that link systemic immunity with the tumor microenvironment and hold promise for predicting IC responsiveness in patients with LUSC.

PMID:41912871 | DOI:10.1038/s44321-026-00410-y