Background: Melanoma is recognized as the most aggressive type of skin cancer, characterized by its high mortality rates and significant therapeutic challenges.
Objective: The primary aim of this research is to analyze cellular heterogeneity in SKCM through single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) and construct a neddylation-related prognostic model.
Methods: The scRNA-seq and bulk data of Skin Cutaneous Melanoma (SKCM) samples were obtained from Gene Expression Omnibus and Cancer Genome Atlas Program databases. The nonnegative matrix factorization clustering algorithm was employed to stratify malignant cells into different neddylation cell subtypes in SKCM.
Results: The scRNA-seq analysis classified 31,894 high-quality cells into eight major cell types, revealing significant cellular distribution patterns within the TME. We observed that neddylation activity was significantly elevated in SKCM tissues compared to normal counterparts. Based on the expression profile of prognostic NRGs, the malignant cells were stratified into four neddylation cell subtypes in SKCM. A neddylation-related prognostic signature (NRPS) was established based on marker genes of neddylation-C3 cell subtype. The low-risk group activated immune-related signaling pathways, while the high-risk group activated various cancer-related pathways. Notably, the low-risk group exhibited better overall survival, higher immune cell infiltration, and response rates to immunotherapy compared to the high-risk group.
Conclusion: This investigation emphasizes the crucial function of NRGs in the prognosis of SKCM, while also underscoring the importance of understanding the TME and its cellular heterogeneity. The distinct cellular composition and functional attributes within the TME highlight the potential for immunotherapy responses that can be stratified by risk.

