Background: Acral melanoma (AM) exhibits significant intratumoral heterogeneity, but its tumor microenvironment (TME) and immune regulation remain unclear. This study aims to dissect TME heterogeneity and establish a prognostic model based on key cell subpopulations. Methods: We collected AM single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) and bulk RNA-seq data from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) and the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). Unsupervised clustering, CellChat, and Scissor analysis were performed to characterize cellular heterogeneity, cell-cell communication, and prognosis-related cell subpopulations. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to assess the prognostic value of key genes, which were further validated by multiplex immunohistochemistry (mIHC). Results: In AM, Mel_C2, C7, and C9 with high SEMA6A and KIT expression were strongly linked to poor prognosis. We further identified a senescent fibroblast subpopulation (sCAF_CDKN2A) characterized by high fibroblast senescence signature (FSS) scores. Integrating Scissor analysis of fibroblast subtypes with bulk prognostic data, we identified COL3A1, VCAN, and KIT as prognosis-associated genes upregulated in poor-outcome-related fibroblast subsets. Cell-cell communication analysis revealed that sCAF_CDKN2A engages in an immunosuppressive network, interacting with regulatory T cells (Tregs) via MIF signaling and receiving signals from exhausted CD8+ T cells through PPIA-BSG interactions. Using transcription factor expression patterns from these fibroblast subtypes, we constructed a prognostic model that effectively stratified patients into distinct risk groups with significant differences in overall survival (OS). mIHC confirmed significantly higher protein levels of SEMA6A and COL3A1 in tumor tissues compared to matched normal tissues. Conclusions: We established a novel prognostic model for AM and identified sCAF_CDKN2A as an immunosuppressive senescent fibroblast subpopulation driving poor prognosis.
[1]Jinan Dermatosis Prevent & Control Hosp, Dept Dermatol, Jinan 250001, Peoples R China.
[2]Shandong First Med Univ, Affiliated Hosp 3, Dept Radiat Oncol, Jinan 250038, Shandong, Peoples R China.
[3]Liaocheng Peoples Hosp, Dept Radiat Oncol, Liaocheng 252000, Peoples R China.
[4]Capital Med Univ, Sch Basic Med Sci, Dept Physiol & Pathophysiol, Beijing 100069, Peoples R China.
[5]Jining Med Univ, Sch Clin Med, Jining 272067, Peoples R China.
(8.0+极速模式)