Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41145477›Full record

ArticleNature communications2025

Single-cell mRNA-regulation analysis reveals cell type-specific mechanisms of type 2 diabetes.

J A Martínez-López, A Lindqvist, A Lopez-Pascual, A Harder, P Chen, M Ngara, L Shcherbina, S Siffo, E Cowan, S M Baira and 15 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Nature communications, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–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

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Review
  3. Review
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

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

25 authors.

J A Martínez-López *Laboratory of Molecular Neurobiology, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
A Lindqvist *Lund University Diabetes Centre, Department of Experimental Medical Science, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden.
A Lopez-Pascual *Lund University Diabetes Centre, Department of Experimental Medical Science, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6091-8225
A HarderLaboratory of Molecular Neurobiology, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
P ChenDivision of Clinical Chemistry, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8068-1891
M NgaraLund University Diabetes Centre, Department of Experimental Medical Science, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden.
L ShcherbinaLund University Diabetes Centre, Department of Experimental Medical Science, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden.
S SiffoLund University Diabetes Centre, Department of Experimental Medical Science, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden.
E CowanLund University Diabetes Centre, Department of Clinical Sciences in Malmö, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3939-8864
S M BairaDepartment of Chemistry, Centre for Analysis and Synthesis, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
D KryvokhyzhaLund University Diabetes Centre, Department of Clinical Sciences in Malmö, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6498-1977
A KaragiannopoulosLund University Diabetes Centre, Department of Clinical Sciences in Malmö, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8458-1065
S ChriettLund University Diabetes Centre, Department of Experimental Medical Science, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden.
N G SkeneLaboratory of Molecular Neurobiology, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
R B PrasadLund University Diabetes Centre, Department of Clinical Sciences in Malmö, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4400-6741
M LancienINSERM UMR 1064, Center for Transplantation and Immunology, Université de Nantes, Nantes, France.
P F JohnsonMouse Cancer Genetics Program, Center for Cancer Research, NCI, Frederick, MD, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4145-4725
P EliassonBioscience Cardiovascular, Research and Early Development, Cardiovascular, Renal and Metabolism (CVRM), Biopharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, Gothenburg, Sweden.
L EliassonLund University Diabetes Centre, Department of Clinical Sciences in Malmö, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6467-5029
C LouvetINSERM UMR 1064, Center for Transplantation and Immunology, Université de Nantes, Nantes, France.
P SpégelDepartment of Chemistry, Centre for Analysis and Synthesis, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6092-2387
A B Muñoz-ManchadoLaboratory of Molecular Neurobiology, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1121-6072
R SandbergDepartment of Cell and Molecular Biology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6473-1740
J Hjerling-LefflerLaboratory of Molecular Neurobiology, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. jens.hjerling-leffler@ki.se.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4539-1776
N WierupLund University Diabetes Centre, Department of Experimental Medical Science, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden. nils.wierup@med.lu.se.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6824-4093

Funding

Novo Nordisk Fonden (Novo Nordisk Foundation) NNF24OC0091917, NNF20OC0063916Vetenskapsrådet (Swedish Research Council) 2024-03413, 2020-01017, 2017-00862 and 521-2012-2119
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Perturbed secretion of insulin and other pancreatic islet hormones is the main cause of type 2 diabetes (T2D). The islets harbor five cell types that are potentially altered differently by T2D. Whole-islet transcriptomics and single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNAseq) studies have revealed differentially expressed genes without reaching consensus. Here, we demonstrate that further insights into T2D disease mechanisms can be obtained by network-based analysis of scRNAseq data from individual cell types. We developed differential gene coordination network analysis (dGCNA) and analyzed islet SmartSeq2 scRNAseq data from 16 T2D and 16 non-T2D individuals. dGCNA reveals T2D-induced cell type-specific networks of dysregulated genes with remarkable ontological specificity, thus allowing for a comprehensive and unbiased functional classification of genes involved in T2D. In beta cells eleven networks of genes are detected, revealing that mitochondrial electron transport chain, glycolysis, cytoskeleton organization, cell proliferation, unfolded protein response and three networks of beta cell transcription factors are perturbed, whereas exocytosis, lysosomal regulation and insulin translation programs are instead enhanced in T2D. Furthermore, we validated the ability of dGCNA to reveal disease mechanisms and predict the functional context of genes by showing that TMEM176A/B regulates beta cell microfilament organization and that CEPBG is an important regulator of the unfolded protein response. In addition, when comparing beta- and alpha cells, we found substantial differences, reproduced across independent datasets, confirming cell type-specific alterations in T2D. We conclude that analysis of networks of differentially coordinated genes provides detailed insight into cell type-specific gene function and T2D pathophysiology.

Indexed as

Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2Gene Expression RegulationRNA, MessengerSingle-Cell AnalysisFemaleGene Expression ProfilingGene Regulatory NetworksHumansInsulinInsulin-Secreting CellsIslets of LangerhansMaleSequence Analysis, RNATranscriptomeUnfolded Protein ResponseInsulinRNA, Messenger

Identifiers

PMID41145477
PMCPMC12559761

What Socratic holds

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Registered trials

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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 Socratic graph.