ArticlemedRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences2026
Melanocyte loss dominates the vitiligo transcriptome: a rank-based meta-analysis.
Article in medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
1 author.
Funding
Abstract
Vitiligo is an autoimmune disorder characterized by the destruction of melanocytes. We performed a rank-based meta-analysis of six independent transcriptomic studies (115 samples) spanning microarray, bulk, and single-cell RNA-seq platforms to identify consensus signatures of lesional skin. Robust rank aggregation identified 108 downregulated and 6 upregulated genes. Pathway analysis revealed consistent suppression of melanin synthesis and neural development pathways in vitiligo, whereas immune response activation was heterogeneous across studies. Re-analysis of single-cell data from three studies confirmed melanocyte depletion. The 108 downregulated genes were expressed exclusively in melanocytes. These include neural development genes (PLP1, GPM6B, NRXN3), consistent with melanocytes' neural crest origin. We also identified candidate melanocyte markers, such as CYB561A3 and QPCT, with high melanocyte specificity and consistent downregulation in vitiligo. These findings reveal a robust melanocyte-loss signature in vitiligo, detectable across different studies. Study-dependent immune activation, possibly influenced by sampling method and disease characteristics, warrants further study.
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.