ArticleJCI insight2026
Macrophage signaling associates with fibrogenic program activation in periductal fibroblasts in pediatric primary sclerosing cholangitis.
Article in JCI insight, 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
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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.
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Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Conserved Ductular Reaction Mechanisms in Biliary Atresia and Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis Derived From Single-Cell and Spatial Transcriptomics.Cellular and molecular gastroenterology and hepatology · 2026Review
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Authors and funding
18 authors.
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Abstract
Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is a chronic, idiopathic cholestatic liver disease characterized by inflammation and fibrosis of the bile ducts, yet the cellular crosstalk driving periductal fibrosis remains poorly defined. This study applied a multiomics approach integrating spatial transcriptomics, RNA-Seq, and proteomics to characterize fibrotic periductal regions and their cell-cell communications. Macrophage subsets, including monocyte-derived macrophages and lipid-associated macrophage-like cells, colocalized with cholangiocytes, lymphocytes, and hepatic stellate cells (HSCs). Cell niche analysis identified periductal regions with elevated fibrotic signals, where cell-cell communication analysis revealed potential macrophage-HSC interactions involving 17 fibrotic driver genes in macrophages, including ITGB2, GRN, and CCL21, and 6 fibrotic effector genes in HSCs. In validation analyses, bulk RNA-Seq data showed higher driver and effector gene expression in PSC with established fibrosis compared with early-stage PSC or healthy controls. Plasma proteins encoded by macrophage driver genes were elevated in PSC and in patients with elevated (≥3.29 kPa) liver stiffness on MR elastography. Immunofluorescence and second harmonic generation imaging showed enrichment of CD68+/CD18+(ITGB2) macrophages in fibrotic regions of PSC liver biopsies. These findings revealed enrichment of monocyte-derived macrophages and lipid-associated macrophage-like cells in fibrotic regions and suggest that they likely contribute to fibrotic activation of nearby HSCs in PSC.
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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.