Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41318497›Full record

ArticleJournal of translational medicine2025

Altered gut mycobiome and cross-kingdom microbial interactions in systemic lupus erythematosus.

Zheng Wang, Yida Xing, Mingxi Xu, Changming Chen, Qing Zhu, Huixiang Chen, Yidi Zhang, Wei Chen, Jianhua Feng, Aiqin Zhang and 7 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of translational medicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing 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

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Review
  3. 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

17 authors.

Zheng Wang *Department of Rheumatology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China.
Yida Xing *Department of Rheumatology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China.
Mingxi Xu *Department of Rheumatology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China.
Changming Chen *Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guiyang, China.
Qing Zhu *Department of Laboratory Medicine, Loudi Central Hospital, Loudi, China.
Huixiang ChenPuensum Genetech Institute, Wuhan, China.
Yidi ZhangDepartment of Rheumatology and Immunology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guiyang, China.
Wei ChenDepartment of Laboratory Medicine, Loudi Central Hospital, Loudi, China.
Jianhua FengDepartment of Rheumatology and Immunology, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
Aiqin ZhangCenter for Microbiome Medicine, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
Renzhen MaCenter for Microbiome Medicine, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
Xiaohua LiuCenter for Microbiome Medicine, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
Shenghui LiPuensum Genetech Institute, Wuhan, China.
Qiulong YanDepartment of Laboratory Medicine, Loudi Central Hospital, Loudi, China.
Guorui XingPuensum Genetech Institute, Wuhan, China. 2657518@qq.com.
Xueming YaoDepartment of Rheumatology and Immunology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guiyang, China. yxming19@foxmail.com.
Xiaodan KongDepartment of Rheumatology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China. xiaodankong2008@sina.com.

Funding

Basic Research Project of Liaoning Provincial Department of Education for Universities LJ212410161043Doctoral Start-up Foundation of Liaoning Province 2025-BS-0684
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundSystemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a complex autoimmune disorder shaped by host genetics and environmental exposures, including the gut microbiota. While bacterial dysbiosis in SLE is well characterized, the role of the gut mycobiome and its cross-kingdom interactions remains largely unexplored.

methodsUsing fecal metagenomic sequencing from 117 SLE patients and 115 healthy controls (HCs), we established a non-redundant fungal genome catalog and revealed significant alterations in fungal composition, function, and cross-kingdom ecology.

resultsFungal diversity was increased in SLE, with enrichment of potentially pathogenic taxa such as Candida, Malassezia, and Trichophyton, and depletion of commensal genera such as Pichia. Functional analysis showed expanded biosynthetic and redox capacities in SLE-associated fungi, including enrichment of RiPP- and terpene-related biosynthetic gene clusters and oxidative stress–related Pfam domains. Several predicted metabolites—such as kynurenine, phenylacetic acid, secondary bile acids, and acylcarnitines—were linked to immune activation and inflammation, suggesting that fungal metabolism may contribute to immune dysregulation. Network analysis revealed sparser and less centralized fungal–bacterial interactions in SLE, indicating disrupted ecological stability and the emergence of fungal taxa as key structural drivers. Integrating fungal and bacterial profiles markedly improved diagnostic performance (AUC = 0.934), underscoring the complementary predictive value of the gut mycobiome. In contrast, post-treatment samples showed reduced fungal richness but no major compositional shifts.

conclusionsThis study provides a comprehensive, multi-dimensional view of the gut mycobiome in SLE, demonstrating its taxonomic, functional, and ecological remodeling. Our findings highlight the potential contribution of fungal metabolic and redox activities to SLE pathogenesis and support the inclusion of fungi in multi-kingdom microbiome frameworks for disease diagnosis and therapeutic development.

Indexed as

FungiGastrointestinal MicrobiomeLupus Erythematosus, SystemicMicrobial InteractionsMycobiomeBacteriaCase-Control StudiesFecesHumansCo-occurrence networksCross-kingdom interactionsDeep metagenomic profilingGut microbiomeSystemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)

Identifiers

PMID41318497
PMCPMC12771783

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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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.