Single-cell platform links cholesterol trafficking to oral cancer metastasis
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A preprint posted on bioRxiv on 16 October 2026 describes behavior-coupled single-cell sequencing (BC-seq), a live-cell imaging-guided platform that profiles individual tumor cells according to how they migrate. Applied to 10 HPV-negative oral squamous cell carcinomas, it separated fast- from slow-migrating cells and traced aggressive movement to cholesterol-regulated trafficking involving SREBP2, STARD4, Cavin1/3 and VEGFR2. Blocking STARD4, or the Cavin1/3-dependent nuclear translocation of VEGFR2, impaired migration in the study. A 15-gene signature derived from fast-migrating cells predicted distant metastasis with 83.6% accuracy in an independent OSCC cohort, outperforming conventional risk stratification. The work is a preprint and has not yet undergone peer review; validation in larger cohorts and clinical translation remain open questions.
Written by a model from the reports · updated 4 hours ago
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- biorxiv.orgPickBehavior-coupled single-cell transcriptomics reveals trafficking protein-dependent regulation of tumor cell migration
A live-cell imaging-guided platform, behavior-coupled single-cell sequencing (BC-seq), profiles individual tumor cells by migratory behavior, separating fast- from slow-migrating cells in 10 HPV-negative oral squamous cell carcinomas. It traces aggressive migration to cholesterol-regulated trafficking involving SREBP2, STARD4, Cavin1/3 and VEGFR2; blocking STARD4 or Cavin1/3-dependent VEGFR2 nuclear translocation impairs migration. A 15-gene signature from fast-migrating cells predicted distant metastasis with 83.6% accuracy in an independent OSCC cohort, beating conventional risk stratification.
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