ArticleClinical rheumatology2026
Upregulation of RAF and RalGDS gene expression by TGF-β in systemic sclerosis dermal fibroblasts: a controlled in vitro study.
Article in Clinical rheumatology, 2026. 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.
- Epithelial-mesenchymal transition in cutaneous fibrosis disease: from mechanisms to therapy.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
11 authors.
Funding
Abstract
introductionSystemic sclerosis is an autoimmune rheumatic disorder characterized by uncontrolled fibroblast activation, skin thickening, and fibrosis. Activated Ras and ERK signaling significantly affect fibrosis and EMT upon TGF-β treatment. RalGDS may play an important role in inflammatory and oncogenic processes. This study investigates the expression of RAF and RalGDS genes in SSc patients compared to healthy individuals before and after treatment with TGF-β.
methodsThis research included 20 patients with systemic sclerosis and 18 healthy controls matched for age and sex. Skin biopsies were collected, and fibroblasts were grown and expanded. The identity of fibroblasts was confirmed using immunofluorescence labeling. Fibroblasts were subjected to TGF-β1 treatment, and the expression levels of A-RAF, B-RAF, C-RAF, and RalGDS genes were assessed via real-time PCR.
resultsGene expression analysis revealed no significant baseline changes in RAF and RalGDS between groups; however, TGF-β therapy dramatically raised both genes in SSc cells relative to controls. A positive association was identified between the expression levels of the RAF and RalGDS genes.
conclusionsThis study investigated A-RAF, B-RAF, C-RAF, and RalGDS gene expression in fibroblasts from SSc patients and healthy controls, focusing on their response to TGF-β treatment. While baseline expression levels were similar between groups, TGF-β significantly upregulated these genes in SSc fibroblasts more than in controls. This suggests that TGF-β signaling may contribute to the dysregulation of RAF and RalGDS pathways in SSc, highlighting their potential as biomarkers and therapeutic targets for the disease. Key Points • No significant difference in gene expression levels between SSc and healthy fibroblasts. • SSc and healthy fibroblasts exhibit upregulated RAF and RalGDS expression at the mRNA level in response to TGF-β treatment. • Positive correlation between the expression levels of A-RAF and B-RAF, B-RAF and C-RAF, and finally between C-RAF and RalGDS genes.
Indexed as
Identifiers
41193890What 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.