Evidence mapPaperPMID 41876644Full record

ArticleScientific reports2026

Uncovering potentially targetable genes in liver fibrosis via bioinformatics and experimental validation.

Hang Li, Deji Xie, Qinghui Wu, Lijia Zhao, Lingshan Yang, Shuya Zheng, Erdong Shen, Yuling Zhou

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Scientific reports, 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

8 authors.

Hang Li *Jena University Hospital, Am Klinikum 1, 07743, Jena, Germany.
Deji Xie *Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.
Qinghui WuCancer Center, Yueyang Central Hospital, Yueyang, Hunan, China.
Lijia ZhaoKey Laboratory of Stomatology of Yunnan Province, School of Stomatology, Kunming Medical University, Kunming, Yunnan, China.
Lingshan YangFriedrich Schiller University Jena, Am Klinikum 1, Jena, Germany.
Shuya ZhengFriedrich Schiller University Jena, Am Klinikum 1, Jena, Germany.
Erdong ShenCancer Center, Yueyang Central Hospital, Yueyang, Hunan, China. shenerd@hhu.edu.cn.
Yuling ZhouCancer Center, Yueyang Central Hospital, Yueyang, Hunan, China. zeozhou96@163.com.

Funding

the Hunan Provincial Natural Science Regional Joint Fund No. 2023JJ50303
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Liver fibrosis is a major complication of chronic liver disease, and its treatment remains challenging due to the lack of effective anti-fibrotic therapies. Identifying potentially targetable genes may provide new therapeutic opportunities. This study integrated two liver fibrosis-related datasets (GSE14323 and GSE84044) and performed batch correction. Differentially expressed genes were screened using limma, modules associated with liver fibrosis were identified using WGCNA, and then intersection with a list of potential druggable genes was performed. Candidate genes were validated using ROC and immune infiltration analysis, and some candidate genes were validated in clinical liver samples using IHC and IF. In liver fibrosis tissues, eight genes (AQP1, CCL19, CXCL6, CXCL9, CXCL10, EPCAM, IGJ, and LUM) were upregulated and showed good diagnostic performance. These genes were enriched in pathways related to immune regulation, extracellular matrix remodeling, and inflammatory signaling. IHC and IF showed that AQP1 expression was upregulated. This study identified key target genes with diagnostic relevance in transcriptomic datasets, providing candidates for further validation and mechanistic studies.

Indexed as

Computational BiologyLiver CirrhosisAquaporin 1Gene Expression ProfilingGene Expression RegulationGene Regulatory NetworksHumansLiverTranscriptomeAquaporin 1AQP1Liver fibrosisPotentially targetable genes

Identifiers

PMID41876644
PMCPMC13168626

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.