Longitudinal tumor ecosystem mapping defines glioblastoma treatment trajectories

Vanmechelen, M.; Nazari, P.; Beckervordersandforth, J. J. C.; Caprioli, C.; Leunissen, D. D. J. G.; Cole, B.; Bravo Gonzalez-Blas, C.; Decraene, B.; De Visser, Y.; Shankar, G.; Verduin, M.; Pantano, D.; Bevers, S.; Moors, T.; Zielinski, S.; Telang, J.; Messiaen, J.; Van Herck, Y.; Geens, E.; Eekers, D.; Claeys, A.; Derweduwe, M.; zur Hausen, A. A.; Chui, J.; Bosisio, F. M.; Weyns, F.; Daenekindt, T.; Oosterbos, C.; Van Eyken, P.; Govers, M.; Mennens, F.; Hovinga, K. K. E.; De Vleeschouwer, S.; Clement, P.; Broen, M. M. P. G.; Vooijs, M.; Sciot, R.; Antoranz Martinez, A.; Pey, J.; Speel, E. J.

doi:10.64898/2026.03.04.709701

Home/Archive/bioRxiv

bioRxiv · 10.64898/2026.03.04.709701

Longitudinal tumor ecosystem mapping defines glioblastoma treatment trajectories

View original source ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

Glioblastoma remains an invariably recurring and lethal brain tumor shaped by complex interactions between malignant and microenvironmental cells. How these interactions evolve under first-line standard-of-care (SOC) therapy remains unclear. We performed spatial single-cell profiling of 671 paired newly diagnosed and recurrent glioblastoma samples from 96 patients to map tumor-ecosystem evolution and its clinical relevance. We delineated five distinct patient subgroups, each characterized by unique ecosystem trajectories that correlated with clinical outcome. Patients whose tumors transitioned into oligodendrocyte-progenitor-like niches with enhanced vascular integrity, oxygenation and an IL10/CCL/MHCII immunomodulatory environment experienced improved clinical prognosis. In contrast, progression towards hypoxic mesenchymal/astrocyte-like niches dominated by strong LGALS1/SPP1/TGF{beta} immunosuppression predicted poor outcome. Furthermore, a subgroup of early-relapsing patients on SOC therapy that was characterized by a depletion of an antigen-presenting myeloid-cell-rich niche, exhibited diminished responsiveness to second-line lomustine therapy. Overall, mapping evolutions in glioblastoma ecosystems offers a novel framework for prognostic stratification and therapeutic guidance.

Explore related subjects

cancer biology Preprint

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeX RIS

Vanmechelen, M., Nazari, P., Beckervordersandforth, J. J. C., Caprioli, C., Leunissen, D. D. J. G., Cole, B., Bravo Gonzalez-Blas, C., Decraene, B., De Visser, Y., Shankar, G., Verduin, M., Pantano, D., Bevers, S., Moors, T., Zielinski, S., Telang, J., Messiaen, J., Van Herck, Y., Geens, E., Eekers, D., Claeys, A., Derweduwe, M., zur Hausen, A. A., Chui, J., Bosisio, F. M., Weyns, F., Daenekindt, T., Oosterbos, C., Van Eyken, P., Govers, M., Mennens, F., Hovinga, K. K. E., De Vleeschouwer, S., Clement, P., Broen, M. M. P. G., Vooijs, M., Sciot, R., Antoranz Martinez, A., Pey, J., Speel, E. J.. 2026-03-07. Longitudinal tumor ecosystem mapping defines glioblastoma treatment trajectories. https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.03.04.709701

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related preprints

bioRxiv2026

Tet2-Clonal Hematopoiesis Promotes Whereas Dnmt3a-CH Inhibits Breast Cancer Progression During Aging

Clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP) driven by somatic mutations in blood cells increases with age and is associated with adverse outcomes in cancer patients. How CHIP mutations influence solid tumor progression remains unclear. Using inducible murine models of Dnmt3a- or Tet2-mutant CHIP combined with orthotopic syngeneic breast cancer models, we demonstrate that upon aging Dnmt3a-mutant CHIP prevents whereas Tet2-mutant CHIP drives breast cancer progression. Dnmt3a-mutant immune infiltrates established interferon-mediated MHCIIhigh tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) that supported cytotoxic CD8+ T cell-mediated tumor rejection. In contrast, Tet2-mutant TAMs exhibited an inflammatory, immunosuppressive phenotype characterized by increased IL-1 and CXCL2 production, reduced MHCII expression, and impaired T cell recruitment and activation. Therapeutic blockade of IL-1R1 or CXCR2 reduced tumor progression in aged Tet2-mutant CHIP mice and partially restored anti-tumor immunity. These findings establish that the effects of CHIP on cancer are mutation- and age-dependent and identify IL-1/CXCL2-driven inflammation as a therapeutic vulnerability of tumor-promoting Tet2-mutant CHIP.

cancer biology↗

bioRxiv2026

Single Nucleus Profiling Reveals Rewired Tumor-Immune-Stromal Cell Communication in Plasmacytoid Urothelial Carcinoma

Plasmacytoid urothelial carcinoma (PUC) is an aggressive histologic subtype of bladder cancer associated with worse patient outcomes and therapeutic response compared to conventional urothelial carcinoma (CUC). While recent work has demonstrated metastatic lymph nodes from PUC tumors have an inflamed phenotype, how the tumor microenvironment (TME) and crosstalk between tumor, stromal, and immune cells in primary PUC bladder tumors differs from those in CUC remains poorly understood. The impact of these differences on response to immunotherapy is also unknown. To understand TME differences between CUC and PUC and their impact on cell signaling, we performed single nucleus RNA sequencing on PUC and CUC tumors, as well as Xenium spatial transcriptomics on a mixed CUC / PUC tumor. We identified increased signaling between PUC-enriched, CDH1-low urothelial cells, immunosuppressive lipid-associated macrophages, and SFRP2+/CTHRC1+ fibroblasts in PUC tumors compared to CUC. Spatial transcriptomics identified increased macrophage infiltration in PUC histology and colocalization of PUC tumor cells, immunosuppressive macrophages, and SFRP2+ fibroblasts. Taken together, this study delineates PUC architecture and demonstrates interplay CDH1-low tumor cells, EMT, and immunosuppressive macrophages, identifying possible therapeutic vulnerabilities in PUC.

cancer biology↗

bioRxiv2026

The Phospholipase A2 Activity of Peroxiredoxin 6 Protects Hepatocarcinoma Cells Against Ferroptosis and Mitophagy Impairment

Peroxiredoxin 6 (PRDX6) is a moonlighting protein that plays a key role in regulating redox homeostasis and lipid metabolism through its unique dual peroxidase and calcium-independent phospholipase A2 (iPLA2) activities. Here, we generated a stable HepG2 cell line harboring a D140A mutation to selectively ablate iPLA2 activity, and we compared its phenotype with that of wild-type (WT) and PRDX6-knockout (KO) cells. D140A exhibited low ROS leves, similar to WT cells, confirming that oxidative stress is due to peroxidase deficiency. In contrast, D140A cells displayed higher lipid peroxidation than WT cells, though significantly lower than that of KO cells. Furthermore, the D140A mutant mirrored the KO phenotype regarding intracellular ferrous iron accumulation, impaired lipid droplet biogenesis, and the downregulation of the key ferroptosis regulator GPX4. Mechanistically, integrated proteomic, lipidomic, and enzymatic analyses revealed that a deficiency in iPLA2 activity of PRDX6 disrupted the release of key lipid species necessary for cell structure and signaling. Consequently, organelles involved in lipid synthesis and trafficking, such as peroxisomes, endoplasmic reticulum, mitochondria and lipid droplet, were affected. Specifically, we found that mitochondria exhibited a reduction in cristae and a diminished capacity for mitophagy and autophagy, which ultimately makes cells much more susceptible to erastin-induced ferroptotic cell death. Taken together, our findings demonstrate that PRDX6 iPLA2 activity uniquely coordinates organelle lipid homeostasis and mitophagy to protect cancer cells from ferroptotic cell death. Consequently, the use of iPLA2 inhibitors such as MJ33, which decreased PRDX6 iPLA2 activity to a level comparable to the mutant D140A, could represent a promising therapeutic strategy for inducing ferroptotic cell death in hepatocellular carcinoma.

cancer biology↗