Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41368353›Full record

ArticleJournal of inflammation research2025

NCF2 as a Novel Diagnostic Biomarker in Ulcerative Colitis: Linking Macrophage Infiltration to Immune Dysregulation via Multi-Omics Analysis.

Fang Zhang, Jianwei Zhu, Haiyan Liu, Jianlan Ye, Yuanyuan Li, Bingcheng Wang

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of inflammation research, 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

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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

6 authors.

Fang Zhang *Department of Outpatient, Jinling Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University, Nanjing, People's Republic of China.
Jianwei Zhu *Department of Gastroenterology Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China.
Haiyan Liu *Department of Rehabilitation medicine, Eastern Theater Command Air Force Hospital, Nanjing, People's Republic of China.
Jianlan YeDepartment of Outpatient, Jinling Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University, Nanjing, People's Republic of China.
Yuanyuan LiDepartment of Pharmacy, Eastern Theater Command Air Force Hospital, Nanjing, People's Republic of China.
Bingcheng WangDepartment of Outpatient, Jinling Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University, Nanjing, People's Republic of China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a debilitating inflammatory condition with growing global prevalence. While immune dysregulation is a known hallmark, the specific molecular drivers and their link to fibrosis remain incompletely characterized. To address this, we conducted a study combining bioinformatic analyses of public datasets with experimental validation to identify and validate key biomarker candidates involved in UC pathogenesis. Methods: Three publicly available ulcerative colitis gene expression datasets (GSE38713, GSE87466, GSE119600) were retrieved from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO). Immune cell infiltration was evaluated using ssGSEA, with significant cell types identified by Wilcoxon test and LASSO regression. DEGs were screened and analyzed using GO, KEGG, and PPI networks. Hub genes were identified using cytoHubba and validated via ROC curves. RT-qPCR, WB, and IHC validated findings in UC rat models and clinical samples. Results: The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were evaluated using ten distinct algorithms, resulting in the identification of eight common DEGs following an intersection analysis. 4 hub genes were further identified through validation using the GSE119600 dataset, namely Cluster of Differentiation 274 (CD274), Matrix Metallopeptidase 1 (MMP1), neutrophil cytosolic factor 2 (NCF2), Plasminogen Activator Urokinase (PLAU). Notably, NCF2 demonstrated the highest specificity and sensitivity for diagnosing ulcerative colitis (UC), suggesting its potential utility as a diagnostic biomarker. Additionally, a distinct immune cell type exhibited significant differences between UC patients and healthy controls (HC). Correlation analyses utilizing bioinformatics techniques revealed that the hub genes CD274, MMP1, NCF2, and PLAU were positively associated with macrophage infiltration, highlighting their potential role in the immune response in UC. Conclusion: CD274, MMP1, NCF2, PLAU can serve as hub genes associated with UC. Among these, NCF2 stands out as a particularly promising target for further research into the underlying mechanisms of UC. Additionally, NCF2 may play a role in the development and progression of UC by modulating macrophage infiltration.

Indexed as

biomarkerdifferentially expressed genesimmune cellsssGSEAulcerative colitis

Identifiers

PMID41368353
PMCPMC12684989

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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.