Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42897601›Full record

ArticleGenome medicine2026

Mapping fibroblast plasticity across non-cancer lung diseases at single-cell resolution.

Junhui Yang, Xin Zhang, Minghui Tang, Yuanpei Jiang, Zhiying Chen, Cuinan Lai, Jingyi Bao, Jin Su, Dan Cui, Jia Li

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Genome medicine, 2026. 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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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

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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

10 authors.

Junhui Yang *State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Disease, National Center for Respiratory Medicine, Joint International Research Laboratory of Respiratory Health, Guangdong Basic Research Center of Excellence for Respiratory Medicine, Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Health, the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, 510120, China.
Xin Zhang *State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Disease, National Center for Respiratory Medicine, Joint International Research Laboratory of Respiratory Health, Guangdong Basic Research Center of Excellence for Respiratory Medicine, Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Health, the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, 510120, China. 2023991060@gzhmu.edu.cn.
Minghui Tang *State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Disease, National Center for Respiratory Medicine, Joint International Research Laboratory of Respiratory Health, Guangdong Basic Research Center of Excellence for Respiratory Medicine, Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Health, the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, 510120, China.
Yuanpei JiangState Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Disease, National Center for Respiratory Medicine, Joint International Research Laboratory of Respiratory Health, Guangdong Basic Research Center of Excellence for Respiratory Medicine, Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Health, the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, 510120, China.
Zhiying ChenState Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Disease, National Center for Respiratory Medicine, Joint International Research Laboratory of Respiratory Health, Guangdong Basic Research Center of Excellence for Respiratory Medicine, Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Health, the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, 510120, China.
Cuinan LaiState Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Disease, National Center for Respiratory Medicine, Joint International Research Laboratory of Respiratory Health, Guangdong Basic Research Center of Excellence for Respiratory Medicine, Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Health, the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, 510120, China.
Jingyi BaoGuangzhou Institute of Cancer Research, the Affiliated Cancer Hospital, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, 510095, China.
Jin SuState Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Disease, National Center for Respiratory Medicine, Joint International Research Laboratory of Respiratory Health, Guangdong Basic Research Center of Excellence for Respiratory Medicine, Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Health, the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, 510120, China.
Dan CuiGuangzhou National Laboratory, Guangzhou, 510320, China. cui_dan@gzlab.ac.cn.
Jia LiState Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Disease, National Center for Respiratory Medicine, Joint International Research Laboratory of Respiratory Health, Guangdong Basic Research Center of Excellence for Respiratory Medicine, Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Health, the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, 510120, China. jiali@gzhmu.edu.cn.

Funding

Guangzhou Municipal Science and Technology Bureau, Guangzhou Key Research and Development Program 2024B03J0046Major Project of Guangzhou National Laboratory GZNL2023A02003
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundFibroblast plasticity underlies a wide spectrum of pulmonary diseases, yet the molecular programs governing fibroblast state transitions in non-malignant contexts remain poorly understood.

methodsWe integrated 1,470,730 single-cell transcriptomes across three non-cancer lung diseases to construct a comprehensive fibroblast atlas. Integrated clustering and regulon analyses were used to delineate fibroblast subtypes, disease-associated transcriptional programs, and state transitions. ANTXR1, identified as a representative regulator, was validated by tissue immunohistochemistry and siRNA knockdown in primary lung fibroblasts under TGF-β stimulation.

resultsCompared with malignancy, fibroblasts in non-cancer lungs exhibited relatively modest transcriptional alterations but maintained distinct disease-associated phenotypes. We further identified a set of fibroblast-specific genes unique to non-malignant contexts, defining molecular features that distinguish fibrotic remodeling from tumor-associated stromal activation. Analysis of fibroblast subtype- and disease-specific regulons revealed 76 gene signatures that were significantly inversely correlated with lung function and distinguished chronic from acute fibrotic fibroblast states. Functional validation demonstrated that ANTXR1 knockdown markedly reduced COL1A1 expression, underscoring its role in fibroblast activation.

conclusionsThis work establishes a comprehensive single-cell fibroblast atlas of non-cancer lung diseases, uncovering disease- and subtype-specific regulatory programs and highlighting potential therapeutic targets for fibrotic remodeling.

Indexed as

Cell PlasticityFibroblastsLung DiseasesSingle-Cell AnalysisGene Expression ProfilingHumansSingle-Cell Gene Expression AnalysisTranscriptomeANTXR1Fibroblast/myofibroblastLung fibrosisNon-cancer lung diseaseSingle-cell transcriptomics

Identifiers

PMID42897601
PMCPMC13681798

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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.