Evidence mapPaperPMID 41566509Full record

ArticleHuman genomics2026

APM⁺ macrophages associated with plaque vulnerability via MIF-CD74 signaling: a multi-omics study.

Xiang Xu, Yuanze Li, Siqi Xiang, Xiaoyong Liu, Ruyi Li, Bingrong Zheng

Abstract read
In one paragraph

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

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing 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

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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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

6 authors.

Xiang Xu *School of Medicine, Yunnan University, Kunming, Yunnan, China.
Yuanze Li *Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, People's Hospital of Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Chuxiong, Yunnan, China.
Siqi XiangDepartment of Cardiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, Yunnan, China.
Xiaoyong LiuDepartment of Cardiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, Yunnan, China.
Ruyi LiDepartment of Pathology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, Yunnan, China.
Bingrong ZhengSchool of Medicine, Yunnan University, Kunming, Yunnan, China. zhengbr@ynu.edu.cn.

Funding

Major Project of Yunnan Science and Technology Program 202002AA100007
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAtherosclerosis (AS) is a chronic vascular disease and the principal cause leading to ischemic cardiomyopathy (ICM). It involves complex metabolic dysregulation beyond the resolution of single-omics. Emerging evidence implicates arginine-proline metabolism (APM) in driving inflammation and impairing efferocytosis, yet the cellular basis of plaque instability remains elusive.

methodsWe employed a five-stage analytical framework. First, metabolomic profiling revealed shared pathways between AS and ICM. Second, single-cell RNA sequencing identified APM-enriched macrophage subtypes in both diseases. Pseudotime analysis, Scissor algorithm, and cell-cell communication analyses linked these subtypes to APM signaling, stroke prognosis, and key ligand-receptor interactions. Third, cNMF and unsupervised clustering defined APM-related gene signatures in macrophages, validated by survival analysis. Fourth, spatial transcriptomics confirmed their spatial distribution and colocalization within unstable plaques. Finally, key biomarkers were validated in atherosclerotic lesions using ApoE

resultsMetabolomic profiling revealed APM as a shared dysregulated pathway in AS and ICM. We identified a macrophage subset (SPP1⁺ macrophages and mono-macrophages), termed APM_high macrophages, enriched in the fibrous cap and characterized by elevated collagenase activity, heightened inflammation, and disrupted cholesterol homeostasis. Spatial and cell-cell communication analyses revealed strong interactions with dendritic cells via the MIF-(CD74 + CXCR4) axis, potentially contributing to plaque destabilization. Transcriptomic clustering uncovered a high-APM plaque subtype associated with worse ischemic outcomes. Six diagnostic biomarkers were identified through machine learning and validated across multiple cohorts and in ApoE

conclusionIn summary, our study decodes the metabolic basis of inflammation shared between AS and ICM, suggesting an APM_high macrophage-centered regulatory axis across multiple omics layers. This work advances our understanding of the cardio-metabolic axis and suggests new avenues for targeted therapy.

Indexed as

Antigens, Differentiation, B-LymphocyteAtherosclerosisHistocompatibility Antigens Class IIIntramolecular OxidoreductasesMacrophage Migration-Inhibitory FactorsMacrophagesPlaque, AtheroscleroticAnimalsCardiomyopathiesHumansMiceMultiomicsMyocardial IschemiaSignal TransductionAntigens, Differentiation, B-LymphocyteHistocompatibility Antigens Class IIIntramolecular Oxidoreductasesinvariant chainMacrophage Migration-Inhibitory FactorsAtherosclerosisBiomarkersIschemic cardiomyopathyMacrophage subtypesPlaque heterogeneityPseudo-trajectory analysis

Identifiers

PMID41566509
PMCPMC12821923

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.