Table 1.
Phenotype and heterogeneity of CAF
| Tissue type | Phenotype | Markers | Origin and/or function | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BC (human) | CAF-S1 |
CD29Med, FAPHi, FSP1Med, α-SMAHi, PDGFRβMed-Hi, CAV-1Low |
Regulatory of cancer invasion and immune response | 58 |
| CAF-S2 |
CD29Low, FAPNeg, FSP1Neg-Low, α-SMANeg, PDGFRβNeg, CAV-1Neg |
ND | ||
| CAF-S3 | CD29Med, FAPNeg, FSP1Med-Hi, α-SMANeg-Low, PDGFRβMed, CAV-1Neg-Low | ND | ||
| CAF-S4 |
CD29Hi, FAPNeg, FSP1Low-Med, α-SMAHi, PDGFRβLow-Med, CAV-1Low |
Regulatory of actin cytoskeleton and oxidative metabolism | ||
| OSCC (human) | CAF-N | KGF | High fibroblast motility | 60 |
| CAF-D | TGF-β1 | Low fibroblast motility | ||
| NF | HGF, MMP3 | Lower tumor incidence | ||
| LC (human) | Cluster 1 | COL10A1 | Showing a strong EMT signals | 65 |
| Cluster 2 | COX4I2, ACTA2, MEF2C | Regulatory of myogenesis and angiogenesis | ||
| Cluster 3 | ND | Upregulating collagen and ECM molecules expression | ||
| Cluster 4 | PLA2G2A | Similar to cluster 1 | ||
| Cluster 5 | MMP3 | Low myogenesis and high mTOR expression | ||
| Cluster 6 | FIGF | Representing nonmalignant fibroblasts | ||
| Cluster 7 | ND | Similar to cluster 4 but differing in the glycolysis pathway | ||
| CRC (human) | CAF-A | MMP2, DCN, COL1A2 | Regulatory of ECM remodeling and express FAP | 66 |
| CAF-B | ACTA2, PDGFA, TAGLN | Activation of cytoskeletal gene | ||
| NF | MGP (ND) | ND | ||
| HNSCC (human) | CAF1 | CTHRC1, COL1A1, POSTN, TPM4, MFAP2 (ND) | Promoting cancer metastasis | 67 |
| CAF2 | CFD, APOD, CXCL12, GPC3, SEPP1 (ND) | |||
| NF | Depleted of markers for myofibroblasts and CAFs | Resting fibroblasts | ||
| OC (human) | FAP-high CAF | FAP, TGF-β, COL11A1, SULF1, IL-6, CXCL12 | Regulatory of cancer invasion and immune regulation | 345 |
| FAP-low CAF | DLK1, TCF21, COLEC11 | Regulatory of glucose homeostasis, lipid metabolism, etc. | ||
| NF | COMP, SFRP2, GJB2 (ND) | ND | ||
| BC (mouse) | mCAF | Fibulin-1, PDGFRα | From resident fibroblast/regulatory of tumor immune response | 57 |
| vCAF | Nidogen-2 | From vasculature/promoting vascular development | ||
| cCAF | Ki-67 | Representing the proliferative segment of vCAF | ||
| dCAF | SCRG1 | From malignant cell/locating on tumor–stroma boundary | ||
| PDAC (mouse) | myCAF | α-SMA | Adjacent to tumor cells and promoting desmoplasia | 61 |
| iCAF | IL-6, LIF | Locating away within stroma and promotes tumor progression | ||
| NF | ND | Pancreatic stellate cells | ||
| BC (mouse) | Cluster 0 | Ly6c1 | From resident fibroblasts/promoting cancer progression and immune evasion | 68 |
| Cluster 1 | α-SMA | Promoting cancer development and progression | ||
| Cluster 2 | Cdk1 | Identifying as dividing cells | ||
| Cluster 3 | Cd53 | High transcriptional enrichment for desmin | ||
| Cluster 4 | Crabp1 | From Ly6c1high fibroblasts | ||
| Cluster 5 | Cd74 | Expressing MHC class II and regulatory of immune-modulatory | ||
| HCC (ND) | Activated myofibroblast phenotype | α-SMA, FAP, vimentin, vollagen 1α, PDGFRα, FN | Maintaining and enhancing the stemness of HCC cells | 398 |
| Mesenchymal stromal cell phenotype | CD90, CD73, CD105, CD29, CD44, CD166 | Regulatory of immunosuppression |
α-SMA alpha-smooth muscle actin, ACTA2 actin alpha 2, APOD apolipoprotein D, BC breast cancer, CAF cancer-associated fibroblast, CD clusters of differentiation, CAV-1 caveolin-1, Cdk1 cyclin-dependent kinases 1, CFD complement factor D, COL1 collagen type I, COLEC11 human collectin subfamily member 11, COX4I2 cytochrome c oxidase subunit 4I 2, Crabp1 cellular retinol-binding protein-I, CRC colon adenocarcinoma, CTHRC1 collagen triple helix repeat-containing protein 1, CXCL12 C–X–C motif chemokine 12, DCN decorin, DLK1 delta-like 1, ECM extracellular matrix, ELK3 ETS-domain protein, EMT epithelial–mesenchymal transition, FAP fibroblast activation protein, FIGF c-fos-induced growth factor, FN fibronectin, FOXO1 forkhead box protein O1, FSP1 fibroblast activation protein 1, GPC3 glypican-3, HCC hepatocellular carcinoma, HNSCC head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, HOXB2 homeobox 2, IL interleukin, KGF keratinocyte growth factor, LC lung cancer, LIF leukemia inhibitory factor, MEF2C myocyte enhancer factor 2C, MFAP2 microfibrillar associated protein 2, MMP matrix metalloproteinase, ND not determined, OC ovarian cancer, OSCC oral squamous cell carcinoma, PDAC pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, PDGF platelet-derived growth factor, PLA2G2A phospholipase A2 group IIA, POSTN periostin, SEPP1 selenoprotein P1, SCRG1 scrapie responsive protein 1, SULF1 sulfatase1, TAGLN transgelin, TCF21 transcription factor 21, TGF transforming growth factor, TPM4 tropomyosin-4