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To address this, we developed a novel computational framework that repurposes subcellular transcript localization\u2014using nuclear and cytoplasmic RNAs as proxies for unspliced and spliced mRNA, respectively\u2014for spatial RNA velocity analysis. By integrating this approach with scVelo\u2019s dynamical model, we inferred directional state transitions directly from melanoma spatial transcriptomes. Our framework successfully reconstructed progression trajectories of melanoma cells and differentiation paths of infiltrating T cells, identifying cluster-specific dynamic genes. These genes were significantly associated with patient prognosis and formed protein-protein interaction networks enriched for immune-related pathways. This study provides a generalizable computational strategy to decode spatiotemporal dynamics from static spatial transcriptomic data, bridging a critical gap between spatial biology and transcriptional dynamics.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3389\/fonc.2026.1845013","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,22]],"date-time":"2026-06-22T04:35:44Z","timestamp":1782102944000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Spatial RNA velocity reveals cellular state transitions and prognostic markers in the melanoma microenvironment"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"16","author":[{"given":"Xiangjian","family":"Fang","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Plastic and Aesthetic Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University","place":["Fuzhou, Fujian, China"]},{"name":"Department of Burn and Wound Repair, Quanzhou First Hospital Affiliated to Fujian Medical University","place":["Quanzhou, Fujian, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Juntao","family":"Cheng","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Burn and Wound Repair, Quanzhou First Hospital Affiliated to Fujian Medical University","place":["Quanzhou, Fujian, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Zhiyi","family":"Wei","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Burn and Wound Repair, Quanzhou First Hospital Affiliated to Fujian Medical University","place":["Quanzhou, Fujian, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Biao","family":"Wang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Plastic and Aesthetic Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University","place":["Fuzhou, Fujian, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,22]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"296","DOI":"10.1007\/s00432-024-05816-0","article-title":"Spatial transcriptomics in cancer research and potential clinical impact: a narrative review","volume":"150","author":"Cilento","year":"2024","journal-title":"J Cancer Res Clin Oncol"},{"key":"B2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"192","DOI":"10.1158\/0008-5472.can-23-1418","article-title":"Integration of pan-cancer single-cell and spatial transcriptomics reveals stromal cell features and therapeutic targets in tumor microenvironment","volume":"84","author":"Du","year":"2024","journal-title":"Cancer Res"},{"key":"B3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/s41588-024-01914-4","article-title":"Spatial transcriptomic analysis of primary and metastatic pancreatic cancers highlights tumor microenvironmental heterogeneity","volume":"56","author":"Khaliq","year":"2024","journal-title":"Nat Genet"},{"key":"B4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"194","DOI":"10.1016\/j.cell.2022.12.010","article-title":"Molecular and spatial signatures of mouse brain aging at single-cell resolution","volume":"186","author":"Allen","year":"2023","journal-title":"Cell"},{"key":"B5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1126\/science.aaa6090","article-title":"RNA imaging. 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