Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42112355›Full record

ArticleFrontiers in immunology2026

Genetic burden across core genes of the PI3K-AKT-mTOR pathway is associated with susceptibility to microscopic polyangiitis: a Chinese cohort study.

Lizhen Li, Jing Yang, Chao Xue, Liepeng Chu, Huan Zhong, Jinlan Rao, Chang She, Lijuan Tan, Xi Fang, Shaoxia Shen and 1 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Frontiers in immunology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

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.

2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Lizhen LiDepartment of Nephrology, Hunan Clinical Research Center for Chronic Kidney Disease, Hunan Provincial People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Normal University, Changsha, China.
Jing YangDepartment of Nephrology, Hunan Clinical Research Center for Chronic Kidney Disease, Hunan Provincial People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Normal University, Changsha, China.
Chao XueDepartment of Nephrology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, China.
Liepeng ChuDepartment of Nephrology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, China.
Huan ZhongDepartment of Nephrology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, China.
Jinlan RaoDepartment of Nephrology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, China.
Chang SheDepartment of Nephrology, Hunan Clinical Research Center for Chronic Kidney Disease, Hunan Provincial People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Normal University, Changsha, China.
Lijuan TanDepartment of Nephrology, Hunan Clinical Research Center for Chronic Kidney Disease, Hunan Provincial People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Normal University, Changsha, China.
Xi FangDepartment of Nephrology, Hunan Clinical Research Center for Chronic Kidney Disease, Hunan Provincial People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Normal University, Changsha, China.
Shaoxia ShenDepartment of Nephrology, Hunan Clinical Research Center for Chronic Kidney Disease, Hunan Provincial People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Normal University, Changsha, China.
Yinyin ChenDepartment of Nephrology, Hunan Clinical Research Center for Chronic Kidney Disease, Hunan Provincial People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Normal University, Changsha, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: The PI3K-AKT-mTOR signaling pathway plays a central role in immune regulation and has been implicated in autoimmune diseases. However, the contribution of genetic variation within key components of this pathway to microscopic polyangiitis (MPA) remains incompletely understood. Methods: We conducted a genetic association study in a Chinese cohort including MPA patients and controls. Four single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within core genes of the PI3K-AKT-mTOR pathway (PIK3CA, AKT1, and MTOR) were analyzed. A cumulative genetic burden score was constructed by summing the number of risk alleles across loci. Participants were stratified into burden categories based on the distribution in controls. Logistic regression, trend analysis, and sensitivity analyses restricted to hospital-based controls were performed. Results: A high genetic burden within the PI3K-AKT-mTOR pathway was associated with increased susceptibility to MPA, with a significant linear trend across burden categories, whereas the intermediate burden group showed no significant association, suggesting a threshold-dependent effect. In sex-stratified analyses, associations appeared more evident among females, although a formal test for interaction did not indicate statistical significance. Analyses suggest a potential sex-related trend that warrants further investigation. Sensitivity analyses restricted to hospital-based controls yielded consistent results. Several common haplotypes spanning PIK3CA, AKT1, and MTOR were less frequent among patients, indicating potential protective effects. Pathway-level genetic burden was also associated with MPO-ANCA positivity. Single-variant analyses revealed generally concordant but modest effects. Conclusions: Genetic variation across selected core components of the PI3K--AKT--mTOR pathway may contribute to susceptibility to MPA. The observed patterns, including potential sex-related differences, should be interpreted cautiously and require validation in larger and independent cohorts. These findings highlight a potential pathway-level genetic architecture underlying MPA susceptibility.

Indexed as

Class I Phosphatidylinositol 3-KinasesGenetic Predisposition to DiseaseMicroscopic PolyangiitisProto-Oncogene Proteins c-aktSignal TransductionTOR Serine-Threonine KinasesAdultAgedChinaCohort StudiesEast Asian PeopleFemaleGenetic Association StudiesHumansMaleMiddle AgedAKT1 protein, humanClass I Phosphatidylinositol 3-KinasesMTOR protein, humanPhosphatidylinositol 3-KinasesPIK3CA protein, humanProto-Oncogene Proteins c-aktTOR Serine-Threonine Kinasesautoimmune vasculitisgenetic burdenmicroscopic polyangiitisMPO-ANCAPI3K–AKT–mTOR pathwaysex differences

Identifiers

PMID42112355
PMCPMC13149408

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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.