Single-cell sequencing reveals the role of SALL4 in cervical cancer development

Abstract Objective This study aims to investigate the role of SALL4 in the development and progression of cervical cancer, particularly its impact on the proliferation, migration and adhesion of HeLa cells, and to explore the clinical potential of SALL4 as a therapeutic target. Methods Single-cell s...

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Main Authors: Bao Tonghui, Li Wufen, Qi Lin
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2025-07-01
Series:BMC Cancer
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s12885-025-14469-2
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author Bao Tonghui
Li Wufen
Qi Lin
author_facet Bao Tonghui
Li Wufen
Qi Lin
author_sort Bao Tonghui
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Objective This study aims to investigate the role of SALL4 in the development and progression of cervical cancer, particularly its impact on the proliferation, migration and adhesion of HeLa cells, and to explore the clinical potential of SALL4 as a therapeutic target. Methods Single-cell sequencing technology was utilized to analyze the cellular characteristics of cervical cancer tumor cell populations, and transcriptomic data were integrated to assess the differential expression of SALL4. Additionally, both in vitro and in vivo experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of SALL4 inhibition on cell proliferation, migration, adhesion, and its regulation of collagen content and fibrosis. Results High expression of SALL4 significantly promoted the proliferation, migration, and adhesion of cervical cancer cells. After SALL4 knockout, the migration and proliferation rates were significantly lower than those of HeLa cells. Immunofluorescence and in vivo experiments showed that SALL4 knockout cells exhibited a significantly reduced tumor formation ability, with lower proliferation and fibrosis levels compared to HeLa cells. Conclusion High expression of SALL4 promotes cervical cancer progression, while inhibition of SALL4 expression effectively suppresses cancer development. As a critical regulatory factor, SALL4 has the potential to become a therapeutic target for cervical cancer, and its application in cervical cancer treatment warrants further exploration.
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spelling doaj-art-978b109d264f4187a8ab7a90f88a1d582025-08-20T03:45:32ZengBMCBMC Cancer1471-24072025-07-0125111110.1186/s12885-025-14469-2Single-cell sequencing reveals the role of SALL4 in cervical cancer developmentBao Tonghui0Li Wufen1Qi Lin2Department of Gynecology, Affiliated Hospital of Qinghai UniversityDepartment of Hematology and Oncology, Qinghai Provincial Traditional Chinese Medicine HospitalDepartment of Oncology and Gynaecology, Affiliated Hospital of Qinghai UniversityAbstract Objective This study aims to investigate the role of SALL4 in the development and progression of cervical cancer, particularly its impact on the proliferation, migration and adhesion of HeLa cells, and to explore the clinical potential of SALL4 as a therapeutic target. Methods Single-cell sequencing technology was utilized to analyze the cellular characteristics of cervical cancer tumor cell populations, and transcriptomic data were integrated to assess the differential expression of SALL4. Additionally, both in vitro and in vivo experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of SALL4 inhibition on cell proliferation, migration, adhesion, and its regulation of collagen content and fibrosis. Results High expression of SALL4 significantly promoted the proliferation, migration, and adhesion of cervical cancer cells. After SALL4 knockout, the migration and proliferation rates were significantly lower than those of HeLa cells. Immunofluorescence and in vivo experiments showed that SALL4 knockout cells exhibited a significantly reduced tumor formation ability, with lower proliferation and fibrosis levels compared to HeLa cells. Conclusion High expression of SALL4 promotes cervical cancer progression, while inhibition of SALL4 expression effectively suppresses cancer development. As a critical regulatory factor, SALL4 has the potential to become a therapeutic target for cervical cancer, and its application in cervical cancer treatment warrants further exploration.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12885-025-14469-2Cervical cancerSALL4Single-cell RNA sequencingCell proliferationTumor microenvironment
spellingShingle Bao Tonghui
Li Wufen
Qi Lin
Single-cell sequencing reveals the role of SALL4 in cervical cancer development
BMC Cancer
Cervical cancer
SALL4
Single-cell RNA sequencing
Cell proliferation
Tumor microenvironment
title Single-cell sequencing reveals the role of SALL4 in cervical cancer development
title_full Single-cell sequencing reveals the role of SALL4 in cervical cancer development
title_fullStr Single-cell sequencing reveals the role of SALL4 in cervical cancer development
title_full_unstemmed Single-cell sequencing reveals the role of SALL4 in cervical cancer development
title_short Single-cell sequencing reveals the role of SALL4 in cervical cancer development
title_sort single cell sequencing reveals the role of sall4 in cervical cancer development
topic Cervical cancer
SALL4
Single-cell RNA sequencing
Cell proliferation
Tumor microenvironment
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s12885-025-14469-2
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AT liwufen singlecellsequencingrevealstheroleofsall4incervicalcancerdevelopment
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