Evidence map›Paper›PMID 25607805›Full record

Trial reportPloS one2015

Experimentally-derived fibroblast gene signatures identify molecular pathways associated with distinct subsets of systemic sclerosis patients in three independent cohorts.

Michael E Johnson, J Matthew Mahoney, Jaclyn Taroni, Jennifer L Sargent, Eleni Marmarelis, Ming-Ru Wu, John Varga, Monique E Hinchcliff, Michael L Whitfield

Open access · goldAbstract readClinical TrialMulticenter Study
In one paragraph

Trial report in PloS one, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 53 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
53citing papers in PubMed, 3 pooled it
6.9field-weighted citation impact, top 2% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

53 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 74 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
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  9. Proceedings of the 2Mediterranean journal of rheumatology · 2026
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  13. Wnt Activation in Mature Dermal Adipocytes Leads to Lipodystrophy and Skin Fibrosis via ATGL-Dependent Lipolysis.FASEB journal : official publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology · 2025
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  19. Tenascin-C in fibrosis in multiple organs: Translational implications.Seminars in cell & developmental biology · 2022
    Review
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Michael E JohnsonDepartment of Genetics, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, United States of America.
J Matthew MahoneyDepartment of Genetics, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, United States of America.
Jaclyn TaroniDepartment of Genetics, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, United States of America.
Jennifer L SargentDepartment of Genetics, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, United States of America.
Eleni MarmarelisDepartment of Genetics, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, United States of America.
Ming-Ru WuDepartment of Genetics, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, United States of America.
John VargaNorthwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, Chicago, IL, United States of America.
Monique E HinchcliffNorthwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, Chicago, IL, United States of America.
Michael L WhitfieldDepartment of Genetics, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, United States of America.
Dartmouth College · USNorthwestern University · US

Funding

Translational Engineering in Cancer (TEC)P30CA023108 · NCI · DARTMOUTH COLLEGE · PI Fred W Kolling IV · 1985 to 2026
$91.3M
Translational studies for identifying and targeting novel pathways in systemic sclerosis pathogenesisP50AR060780 · NIAMS · UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH · PI LAFYATIS, ROBERT A. · 2011 to 2021
$14.9M
Molecular and Cellular Biology at DartmouthT32GM008704 · NIGMS · DARTMOUTH COLLEGE · PI COMPTON, DUANE A. · 1998 to 2018
$6.8M
Rheumatic Diseases Research Core CentersP30AR061271 · NIAMS · BOSTON UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CAMPUS · PI WHITFIELD, MICHAEL L · 2011 to 2015
$3.1M
Training Program for Quantitative Population Sciences in CancerR25CA134286 · NCI · DARTMOUTH COLLEGE · PI KARAGAS, MARGARET RITA, TOSTESON, TOR D · 2009 to 2018
$3.0M
Microarray biomarkers of disease activity and progression in systemic sclerosisU01AR055063 · NIAMS · BOSTON UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CAMPUS · PI LAFYATIS, ROBERT A. · 2007 to 2009
$639k
Predictive Ability of Gene Expression Signatures In Skin as SSc BiomarkersK23AR059763 · NIAMS · NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY AT CHICAGO · PI HINCHCLIFF, MONIQUE EVANGELINE · 2013 to 2015
$390k
NCI NIH HHS P30 CA023108NCI NIH HHS R25 CA134286NCI NIH HHS R25 CA134286-01NIAMS NIH HHS K23 AR059763NIAMS NIH HHS P30 AR061271NIAMS NIH HHS P30AR061271NIAMS NIH HHS P50 AR060780NIAMS NIH HHS P50AR060780NIAMS NIH HHS U01 AR055063NIAMS NIH HHS U01AR055063NIGMS NIH HHS T32 GM008704NIGMS NIH HHS T32GM008704
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Genome-wide expression profiling in systemic sclerosis (SSc) has identified four 'intrinsic' subsets of disease (fibroproliferative, inflammatory, limited, and normal-like), each of which shows deregulation of distinct signaling pathways; however, the full set of pathways contributing to this differential gene expression has not been fully elucidated. Here we examine experimentally derived gene expression signatures in dermal fibroblasts for thirteen different signaling pathways implicated in SSc pathogenesis. These data show distinct and overlapping sets of genes induced by each pathway, allowing for a better understanding of the molecular relationship between profibrotic and immune signaling networks. Pathway-specific gene signatures were analyzed across a compendium of microarray datasets consisting of skin biopsies from three independent cohorts representing 80 SSc patients, 4 morphea, and 26 controls. IFNα signaling showed a strong association with early disease, while TGFβ signaling spanned the fibroproliferative and inflammatory subsets, was associated with worse MRSS, and was higher in lesional than non-lesional skin. The fibroproliferative subset was most strongly associated with PDGF signaling, while the inflammatory subset demonstrated strong activation of innate immune pathways including TLR signaling upstream of NF-κB. The limited and normal-like subsets did not show associations with fibrotic and inflammatory mediators such as TGFβ and TNFα. The normal-like subset showed high expression of genes associated with lipid signaling, which was absent in the inflammatory and limited subsets. Together, these data suggest a model by which IFNα is involved in early disease pathology, and disease severity is associated with active TGFβ signaling.

Indexed as

Gene Expression RegulationGene Regulatory NetworksSignal TransductionCase-Control StudiesFemaleFibroblastsGene Expression ProfilingHumansMaleScleroderma, Systemic

Identifiers

PMID25607805
PMCPMC4301872
OpenAlexW2003214809

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.