ArticleArthritis research & therapy2025
Bulk RNA-seq conjoined with ScRNA-seq analysis reveals the molecular characteristics of nucleus pulposus cell ferroptosis in rat aging intervertebral discs.
Article in Arthritis research & therapy, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
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
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- IL-1β/EPAS1-Associated Ferroptotic Stress Impairs Skeletal Stem/Progenitor Cell Function in Inflammation-Associated Fracture Nonunion.Current issues in molecular biology · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
14 authors.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveRecently, several studies have reported that nucleus pulposus (NP) cell ferroptosis plays a key role in IDD. However, the characteristics and molecular mechanisms of cell subsets involved remain unclear. We aimed to define the key factors driving ferroptosis, and the characteristics of ferroptotic NP cells subsets during IDD.
methodsThe accumulation of iron ions in NP tissues of rats caudal intervertebral discs (IVDs) was determined by Prussian blue staining. Fluorescent probe Undecanoyl Boron Dipyrromethene (C11-BODIPY) and lipid peroxidation product 4-Hydroxynonenal (4-HNE) staining were performed to assess lipid peroxidation level of NP cells. The differentially expressed genes in NP tissues with aging were overlapped with FerrDB database to screen ferroptosis driving genes associated with aging-related IDD. In addition, single cell sequencing (ScRNA-seq) was used to map the NP cells, and further identify ferroptotic NP cell subsets, as well as their crucial drivers. Finally, cluster analysis was performed to identify the marker genes of ferroptotic NP cells.
resultsHistological staining showed that, compared with 10 months old (10M-old) group, the accumulation of iron ions increased in NP tissues of 20 months old (20M-old) rats, and the level of lipid peroxidation was also enhanced. 15 ferroptosis driving factors related to IDD were selected by cross-enrichment. ScRNA-seq identified 14 subsets in NP tissue cells, among which the number and ratio of 5 subsets was reduced, and the intracellular ferroptosis related signaling pathways were significantly enriched, accompanied by enhanced cell lipid peroxidation. Notably, ranking the up-regulation fold of ferroptosis related genes, we found Atf3 was always present within TOP2 of these five cell subsets, suggests it is the key driving factor in NP cell ferroptosis. Finally, cluster cross-enrichment and fluorescence colocalization analysis revealed that Rps6 +/Cxcl1- was a common molecular feature among the 5 ferroptotic NP cell subsets.
conclusionsThis study reveals that ATF3 is a key driver of NP cell ferroptosis during IDD, and Rps6 +/Cxcl1- is a common molecular feature of ferroptotic NP cell subsets. These findings provide evidence and theoretical support for subsequent targeted intervention of NP cell ferroptosis, as well as provide directions for preventing and delaying IDD.
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.