Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42908757›Full record

ArticleFrontiers in immunology2026

Deciphering fibroblast and myeloid-cell states in keloids: an integrative analysis identifies ANKRD1 as a ferroptosis-related candidate gene.

Rongrong Xie, Wanting Yao, Peipei Chen, Xianying Zhou, Xingong Lin, Xinyu Jia, Yuyang Lin, Zehao Yu, Shijie Tang, Caixiang Chen and 2 more

Abstract read
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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

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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

12 authors.

Rongrong Xie *Department of Plastic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Quanzhou, China.
Wanting Yao *Department of Plastic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Quanzhou, China.
Peipei Chen *Department of Obstetrics, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Quanzhou, China.
Xianying ZhouDepartment of Plastic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Quanzhou, China.
Xingong LinDepartment of Plastic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Quanzhou, China.
Xinyu JiaDepartment of Plastic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Quanzhou, China.
Yuyang LinDepartment of Plastic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Quanzhou, China.
Zehao YuDepartment of Plastic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Quanzhou, China.
Shijie TangLaboratory for Molecular Cancer Biology, Center for Cancer Biology, VIB, Leuven, Belgium.
Caixiang ChenDepartment of Breast Surgery, Fujian Medical University Union Hospital, Fuzhou, Fujian, China.
Penghong ChenDepartment of Plastic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Quanzhou, China.
Chaoyang WangDepartment of Plastic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Quanzhou, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Keloids are fibroproliferative skin disorders characterized by persistent extracellular matrix deposition and limited treatment options. Ferroptosis has been implicated in fibrosis, but the molecular basis of ferroptosis-related changes in keloids remains unclear. Methods: Fibroblast-derived bulk transcriptomic datasets (GSE44270 and GSE145725) were integrated to identify differentially expressed ferroptosis-related genes. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis and machine-learning algorithms were used to identify candidate hub genes, which were evaluated in an external fibroblast dataset (GSE7890). Whole-tissue single-cell RNA-sequencing data (GSE191067) were used to characterize fibroblast and myeloid-cell states in keloid and normal-skin samples. Candidate regulatory relationships and potential ANKRD1-binding compounds were assessed in silico. Clinical tissue specimens were used for histological and protein-expression validation. Results: A total of 163 differentially expressed genes were identified, and integration with 1,318 ferroptosis-related genes prioritized ANKRD1 as a candidate hub gene. ANKRD1 showed an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve above 0.80 in the external validation dataset and was positively associated with YAP1 expression in fibroblast-derived bulk transcriptomic data. Single-cell analysis identified a ECM-remodeling fibroblast state and three myeloid-cell states: inflammatory macrophages, resident-phagocytic macrophages, and DC-like myeloid cells. The ceRNA analysis identified a putative NEAT1/MALAT1-miR-493-5p-ANKRD1 regulatory axis. Molecular docking, molecular-dynamics simulation, and ADMET profiling prioritized oleanolic acid and quercetin as candidate ANKRD1-binding compounds. Histological analyses showed excessive collagen deposition and increased ANKRD1 protein expression in keloid tissues. Conclusion: ANKRD1 is a ferroptosis-related, fibroblast-associated candidate gene in keloids. The single-cell data describe fibroblast and myeloid-cell states in the keloid microenvironment. The proposed regulatory axis, candidate compounds, and potential role of ANKRD1 in fibroblast-myeloid interactions require further spatial and functional validation.

Indexed as

FerroptosisFibroblastsKeloidMyeloid CellsNuclear ProteinsRepressor ProteinsFemaleGene Expression ProfilingGene Regulatory NetworksHumansMolecular Docking SimulationTranscriptomeNuclear ProteinsRepressor ProteinsANKRD1ferroptosiskeloidmachine learningmolecular docking

Identifiers

PMID42908757
PMCPMC13683095

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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.