Breast cancer stem cell activity driven by ME18D gene expression in the tumor microenvironment

Figure 8 Expression validation and cell-cell communication analysis of MED18 in breast cancer. A-C: Expression analysis of MED18 across three independent breast cancer samples showing significantly higher expression in malignant tissues compared to normal controls and upregulation in breast cancer subtypes (P < 0.001). Right panels display correlation heatmaps and network diagrams illustrating relationships between MED18 expression and various cell types including tumor cells, macrophages, fibroblasts, and endothelial cells. Network analysis reveals MED18’s central position in cell-cell communication networks, with correlation strength indicated by color intensity (red: Positive correlation, blue: Negative correlation).