Figure 1.

Fibroblasts populations observed in human stomach carcinogenesis. (A) Single-cell RNA sequencing from different studies described a consensus of 4 major populations of fibroblasts in the human stomach: PDGFRA⁺ telocyte-like fibroblasts, FBLN2⁺ inflammatory fibroblasts, ACTA2⁺ myofibroblasts, and PDGFRB⁺ pericyte-like fibroblasts. (B) This illustration depicts the geographic location of fibroblasts at different stages in the process of gastric carcinogenesis from normal to pyloric metaplasia to incomplete intestinal metaplasia to dysplasia/cancer. PDGFRA-expressing telocyte-like fibroblasts are located closest to the epithelial cell lineages, with myofibroblasts tending to be more distant.