ArticleHepatology communications2025
Age-associated B cells enhance tertiary lymphoid structures in the liver and promote HCC formation.
Article in Hepatology communications, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
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
3 citing papers in PubMed.
- The Developmental and Functional Implications of Age-Associated B Cells (ABCs) Across Tissue Microenvironments.Immunological reviews · 2026Review
- Initiation of Tertiary Lymphoid Structures for Cancer Immunotherapy.Research (Washington, D.C.) · 2026Review
- Dual roles of immunosenescence in cancer immunotherapy.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
13 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundHepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the sixth most common cancer worldwide, with chronic liver inflammation being a major risk factor. Tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS) have been associated with improved survival and better response to immune checkpoint inhibitors in several cancers. However, their role in HCC remains unclear, and findings are often contradictory.
methodsThe study investigated the presence and composition of TLSs across multiple liver disease models, including livers containing HCC. TLSs were characterized to identify the essential cellular components for functional lymphoid activity. The functional role of age-associated B cells (ABCs) was further explored by blocking T-bet expression in B cells, thereby preventing their differentiation into ABCs.
resultsTLS frequency was increased in livers containing HCC. Characterization confirmed the presence of key immune cell subsets supporting lymphoid function. Blocking T-bet in B cells led to a reduction in ABCs, which resulted in smaller TLS, a specific decrease in hepatic B cells, and reduced tumor lesion size in HCC-bearing mice.
conclusionsThese findings demonstrate that ABCs promote TLS formation and growth, facilitating B-cell recruitment to the liver and supporting HCC progression. Targeting T-bet-dependent ABC differentiation may represent a novel strategy to limit TLS formation and slow HCC progression.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What Socratic 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 Socratic graph.