ArticleArthritis research & therapy2026
Decreased expression of circ-CCDC134 mediated by TNF-α in patients with rheumatoid arthritis affects T cell function via targeting protein phosphatase 2A.
Article in Arthritis research & therapy, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveTo investigate the expression of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α)-regulated circular RNAs (circRNAs) in T cells from patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
methodsJurkat cells were co-cultured with TNF-α for seven days, after which circRNA expression profiles were analyzed using next-generation sequencing and validated by real-time polymerase chain reaction. Expression levels of TNF-α-regulated circRNAs were then compared between T cells from 51 RA patients and 29 healthy controls. The biological function of specific circRNAs were further examined through RNA pull-down assays and transfection experiments.
resultsTwenty-one circRNAs were under-expressed in Jurkat cells following chronic TNF-α exposure. Among these, 11 circRNAs were significantly downregulated in T cells from patients with RA. The expression levels of circ-UBX domain protein 7 (UBXN7), circ-Coiled-Coil Domain Containing 134 (CCDC134), and circ-Pyridoxal Dependent Decarboxylase Domain Containing 1 (PDXDC1) were inversely correlated with Disease Activity Score-28 (DAS-28) for RA. Circ-CCDC134 was found to interact with protein phosphatase 2A regulatory subunit A alpha isoform (PPP2R1A), and suppresses PP2A activity. Overexpression of circ-CCDC134 but not its linear counterpart, enhanced phosphorylation of STAT3 and AKT, leading to increased expression of Interleukin 2, and Interferon gamma (IFN-γ). In addition, increased expression of circ-CCDC134 reversed the suppressive effect of chronic TNF-α-exposure on IFN-γ and IL-2 secretion in activated Jurkat cells.
conclusionEleven TNF-α-regulated circRNAs were significantly downregulated in RA T cells, with three showing associations with RA disease activity. Circ-CCDC134 binds to and inhibits PP2A, promoting phosphorylation of STAT3 and AKT and enhancing cytokine secretion. These findings suggest that TNF-α-regulated circRNAs contribute to T cell dysfunction in RA.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What 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.