Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40369022›Full record

ArticleScientific reports2025

Dissecting immune-mediated pathways in rheumatoid arthritis: A multivariate mediation analysis of antibodies and circulating proteins.

Jingmin Niu, Pingxin Zhang, Wei Liu, Song Sun, Yingkai Zhang, Jinghao Sang, Jialin Yang, Qin Zhang, Limin Chai

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Scientific reports, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
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.

Jingmin Niu *Key Laboratory of Chinese lnternal Medicine of Ministry of Education and Beijing, Dongzhimen Hospital, Beiing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China.
Pingxin Zhang *Key Laboratory of Chinese lnternal Medicine of Ministry of Education and Beijing, Dongzhimen Hospital, Beiing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China.
Wei LiuKey Laboratory of Chinese lnternal Medicine of Ministry of Education and Beijing, Dongzhimen Hospital, Beiing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China.
Song SunKey Laboratory of Chinese lnternal Medicine of Ministry of Education and Beijing, Dongzhimen Hospital, Beiing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China.
Yingkai ZhangKey Laboratory of Chinese lnternal Medicine of Ministry of Education and Beijing, Dongzhimen Hospital, Beiing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China.
Jinghao SangKey Laboratory of Chinese lnternal Medicine of Ministry of Education and Beijing, Dongzhimen Hospital, Beiing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China.
Jialin YangZhongshan College of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, Liaoning Province, China.
Qin ZhangBeijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China. qinzhang1974@126.com.
Limin ChaiKey Laboratory of Chinese lnternal Medicine of Ministry of Education and Beijing, Dongzhimen Hospital, Beiing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China. liminchai@hotmail.com.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disorder with complex etiologies involving immune responses and circulating proteins. This study investigates the causal relationships between antibody immune responses, plasma circulating proteins, and the development of RA using Mendelian Randomization (MR) analysis; A two-sample and multivariate MR analysis was conducted to explore the mediating causal relationship between 46 antibody immune responses and RA through 4,907 plasma circulating proteins. Genetic variations were utilized as instrumental variables (IVs) to infer causality, ensuring that they met the assumptions of relevance, independence, and exclusion restriction. Data were sourced from the FinnGen R10 dataset, UK Biobank, and the SomaScan platform, providing a robust foundation for the analysis. Statistical methods including IVW, weighted median, and mode-based approaches were employed, complemented by sensitivity analyses to ensure the robustness of the findings; The study identified significant causal relationships between six antibody immune responses and RA, with three specific responses-Epstein-Barr virus EBNA-1, Epstein-Barr virus ZEBRA, and Anti-polyomavirus 2 IgG seropositivity-showing strong associations. However, reverse causality was detected for EBNA-1 and ZEBRA, leading to their exclusion from further analysis. Additionally, 12 plasma circulating proteins were found to have significant causal relationships with RA, with KCNIP3 emerging as a key protective factor. Multivariate MR analysis revealed that KCNIP3 mediates the relationship between Anti-polyomavirus 2 IgG seropositivity and RA, suggesting a potential protective mechanism. This study highlights the intricate relationships between specific antibody responses, circulating proteins, and RA risk. The findings suggest that certain proteins, particularly KCNIP3, may mediate the effects of immune responses on RA development, offering potential targets for therapeutic intervention.

Indexed as

Arthritis, RheumatoidBlood ProteinsFemaleHumansMaleMendelian Randomization AnalysisMultivariate AnalysisBlood ProteinsAntibody immune responseEpstein-Barr virusMendelian randomizationPlasma Circulating proteinsPolyomavirus.Rheumatoid arthritis

Identifiers

PMID40369022
PMCPMC12078495

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