Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41605921›Full record

ArticleNature communications2026

Injured epithelial cell states impact kidney allograft survival after T-cell-mediated rejection.

Anna Maria Pfefferkorn, Lorenz Jahn, Patrick T Gauthier, Vera Anna Kulow, Johannes Roeles, Niklas Müller-Bötticher, Louisa M S Gerhardt, Janna Leiz, Sadia Sarfraz, Izabela Plumbom and 18 more

Erratum issuedAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Nature communications, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing 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

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Observational
  2. Article
  3. Review
  4. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

28 authors.

Anna Maria Pfefferkorn *Department of Surgery, Experimental Surgery, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7126-9838
Lorenz Jahn *Department of Nephrology and Hypertension, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0003-4229-3059
Patrick T Gauthier *Alberta Transplant Applied Genomics Centre, Edmonton, AB, Canada.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6103-8307
Vera Anna KulowInstitute of Translational Physiology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4226-6697
Johannes RoelesDepartment of Nephrology and Hypertension, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.
Niklas Müller-BötticherBerlin Institute of Health at Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Center of Digital Health, Berlin, Germany.
Louisa M S GerhardtDepartment of Medicine V, University Medical Centre Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany.
Janna LeizDepartment of Nephrology and Hypertension, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.
Sadia SarfrazDepartment of Surgery, Experimental Surgery, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany.
Izabela PlumbomGenomics Technology Platform, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0006-3720-3700
Robert GreiteDepartment of Nephrology and Hypertension, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.
Svjetlana LovricDepartment of Nephrology and Hypertension, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3953-9794
Jaba GamrekelashviliDepartment of Nephrology and Hypertension, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7533-6906
Florian LimbourgDepartment of Nephrology and Hypertension, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.
Jessica SchmitzNephropathology Unit, Institute of Pathology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9843-7339
Jan Hinrich BräsenNephropathology Unit, Institute of Pathology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2863-3067
Irina ScheffnerDepartment of Nephrology and Hypertension, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5930-1866
Igor M SauerDepartment of Surgery, Experimental Surgery, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9355-937X
Felix AignerDepartment of Surgery, Experimental Surgery, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany.
Janine AltmüllerGenomics Technology Platform, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany.
Thomas ConradGenomics Technology Platform, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5618-6295
Wilfried GwinnerDepartment of Nephrology and Hypertension, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1703-893X
Naveed IshaqueBerlin Institute of Health at Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Center of Digital Health, Berlin, Germany.
Michael FählingInstitute of Translational Physiology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1079-5049
Kai M Schmidt-OttDepartment of Nephrology and Hypertension, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7700-7142
Philip F HalloranAlberta Transplant Applied Genomics Centre, Edmonton, AB, Canada. phallora@ualberta.ca.
Muhammad Imtiaz AshrafDepartment of Surgery, Experimental Surgery, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany. muhammad-imtiaz.ashraf@charite.de.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6789-5393
Christian HinzeDepartment of Nephrology and Hypertension, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany. hinze.christian@mh-hannover.de.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2526-1621

Funding

Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation) 394046635Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation) HI 2238/2-1Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation) ME 3696/3Niedersächsisches Ministerium für Wissenschaft und Kultur (Ministry for Science and Culture of Lower Saxony) na
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

T-cell-mediated rejection (TCMR) remains a major cause of kidney transplant failure, despite being considered treatable. Its impact reflects a limited understanding of the underlying molecular mechanisms and their clinical consequences. To address this, we induced acute TCMR in mouse kidney transplants and profiled molecular changes using single-nucleus RNA sequencing (snRNA-seq), spatial transcriptomics and immunofluorescence. Results were compared with human snRNA-seq data from TCMR and stable allografts, as well as single-cell deconvolution analysis of bulk transcriptomic data from kidney transplant biopsies. Here we show that TCMR induces injured epithelial cell states in mouse kidney allografts, particularly in proximal tubules and thick ascending limbs. Spatial transcriptomics of these injured epithelial states demonstrated heterogeneous localization, interactions with immune cells and cellular microenvironments. Cross-species analysis confirmed similar severely injured epithelial states in human samples, whose abundances correlated with transplant survival and persisted despite TCMR resolution. Collectively, our results identify epithelial injury cell states as a determinant of outcome after TCMR.

Indexed as

Epithelial CellsGraft RejectionGraft SurvivalKidney TransplantationT-LymphocytesAllograftsAnimalsFemaleHumansKidneyMaleMiceMice, Inbred C57BL

Identifiers

PMID41605921
PMCPMC12852170

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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.