FMOD marks a low-malignancy epithelial state in prostate cancer: an ECM-related prognostic signature with single-cell and functional validation.

Authors

Zhen Li, Xinyang Cai, Yichi Zhang, Ning Pan, Jianjun Luo, Yuanwei Li, Xi Guo

Published in

Cell adhesion & migration. Volume 20. Issue 1. Pages 2728740. Epub Oct 21, 2026.

Abstract

Extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling promotes prostate cancer progression, while the prognostic value and cellular context of ECM-related genes (ERGs) remain unclear. A 4-gene ERG signature for disease-free interval prediction was built using TCGA-PRAD data, and the hub gene Fibromodulin (FMOD) was validated in an external cohort via scRNA-seq, bulk deconvolution and siRNA knockdown. The signature stratified patient prognosis, and FMOD exerted the strongest protective effect. Despite higher bulk expression in tumor tissues, FMOD predicted better clinical outcomes. FMOD was enriched in a low-chromosomal-instability, low-proliferation epithelial subpopulation with enhanced stromal-immune crosstalk, and FMOD knockdown boosted cancer cell proliferation and colony formation. FMOD identifies a low-malignancy epithelial state linked to favorable prostate cancer prognosis, supporting cell state-resolved validation of ECM-related prognostic biomarkers.

PMID:
42904786
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 23 Oct 2026.

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