Tumor microenvironment, Single-cell RNA sequencing, Cancer-associated fibroblasts, Tumor-associated macrophages, Angiogenesis, Medicine, Science

Abstract This study aimed to identify the key cell types and their interactions in gynecological oncology of breast cancer, cervical cancer, and ovarian cancer. Single-cell RNA sequencing was performed on tumor samples of gynecological oncology from the GEO database. Cell types were identified using SingleR and cell composition was analyzed to understand the tumor microenvironment (TME). CellChat was used to analyze cell interactions, and pseudotemporal analysis was conducted on cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) and tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) to understand their differentiation status. Four CAF subtypes were identified: iCAF, myCAF, proCAF, and matCAF. The iCAF subpopulation secreted COL1A1 and promoted tumor cell migration, while myCAF was involved in angiogenesis. The matCAF subpopulation was present throughout tumor development. TAMs were found to promote angiogenesis through the VEGFA_VEGFR2 signaling pathway. CAFs and TAMs play pivotal roles in tumor progression through their interactions and signaling pathways.