Decoding metastatic microenvironments through single-cell omics reveals new insights into niche dynamics and tumor evolution.

Metastasis is the predominant cause of cancer mortality, primarily driven by complex tumor-host interactions within specialized metastatic niches. Recent advances in single-cell technologies have provided unprecedented insights into metastatic niche formation, evolution and function, including how p...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Fengshuo Liu, Xiang H-F Zhang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2025-07-01
Series:PLoS Biology
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3003299
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Metastasis is the predominant cause of cancer mortality, primarily driven by complex tumor-host interactions within specialized metastatic niches. Recent advances in single-cell technologies have provided unprecedented insights into metastatic niche formation, evolution and function, including how primary tumors precondition distant organs for metastases and how disseminated tumor cells dynamically interact with host cells to modulate their environments. Integrated single-cell studies across multiple cancer types have also revealed divergent and convergent metastatic adaptation strategies. These findings collectively highlight metastasis as a dynamic, cooperative process shaped by intricate tumor-host interactions, and provide a foundation for novel therapeutic strategies targeting components of the metastatic microenvironment.
ISSN:1544-9173
1545-7885