Single-Cell Transcriptomic Profiling of MASH-HCC Development

Background & aim:

Bulk RNA-sequencing has limited cellular-level insight into metabolic-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) and its progression to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) by masking rare and tumor-relevant populations. Here, we used single-cell transcriptomics to characterize liver cell-specific transcriptomic changes in the GAN DIO-MASH-HCC mouse, a gold-standard translational model of MASH-driven HCC. We built a comprehensive liver single-cell atlas spanning healthy, MASH, and MASH-HCC mouse models, including tumor and adjacent non-tumor regions, to define hepatocyte state transitions from healthy liver through MASH to HCC.