ArticleRMD open2025
Transcriptome analysis to decipher the molecular underpinnings of response to treatment in systemic lupus erythematosus.
Article in RMD open, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
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.
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.
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Genetic and epigenetic determinants of relapse risk in lupus nephritis.Lupus science & medicine · 2026Article
- Gut microbiota and metabolism in systemic lupus erythematosus: from dysbiosis to targeted interventions.European journal of medical research · 2025Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
15 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveSystemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a multisystem autoimmune disease characterised by variable treatment responses. We investigated the transcriptional landscape associated with treatment response and resistance in SLE.
methodsBlood was collected from 92 active patients with SLE at baseline and after 6 months (n=32 paired samples) of treatment with cyclophosphamide (n=40), rituximab (n=20), belimumab (n=23), mycophenolate mofetil (n=8) or azathioprine (n=1) and was subjected to RNA sequencing. The response was defined by the Lupus Low Disease Activity State. We identified differentially expressed genes and co-expressed transcript modules.
resultsAchieving response, irrespective of treatment, was accompanied by downregulation of B cell immunity-related and complement activation-related signatures. Rituximab led to the most profound decrease in the activity of the B cell pathway, while cyclophosphamide uniquely downregulated neutrophil activation pathways. Responders, regardless of medication, showed increased activity in pathways related to neutrophil migration, type I interferon signalling, complement activation and B cell function prior to treatment. A 539-gene signature, enriched in processes related to chemokine signalling, characterised patients with insufficient response to treatment.
conclusionsBaseline B cell immunity transcriptional signatures correlate with favourable treatment outcomes-accounting for better responses in serologically active patients in SLE clinical trials-with effective treatment reversing the B cell immunity signature. Cyclophosphamide uniquely targets a neutrophil gene signature linked to severe SLE. Alterations in chemotaxis may represent a mechanism driving resistance to treatment in SLE.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.