Analysis of fatty acid metabolism in prostate cancer and discovery of a new programmed cell death-associated luminal cell subpopulation

This study focuses on the role of fatty acid metabolism in prostate cancer, particularly in oncogenic luminal cells associated with programmed cell death under the influence of metabolic reprogramming. Prostate cancer was analyzed using single-cell transcriptomics and spatial transcriptomics data. Fatty acid metabolism levels in the tumor microenvironment were quantified by multiple gene set scoring methods, and data were processed using NMF and deconvolution methods to identify different cell populations and their interactions in the tumor microenvironment. Luminal cells have significantly increased activity in fatty acid metabolism, which is associated with the aggressiveness and metastatic capability of tumors. Luminal cell subpopulations have been found to play a key role in the development of prostate cancer, especially their close association with programmed cell death. This study deepens the understanding of the role of fatty acid metabolism in prostate cancer, identifies fatty acid metabolism-related luminal cell subtypes, and proposes new therapeutic targets, providing new insights into prostate cancer treatment.