FRC function
Gene co-expression module in Fibroblasts
| Category | Immune interaction |
|---|---|
| Genes | 12 |
| Annotation certainty | 3 of 5 |
| Annotation consistency | 6 of 12 genes have a known function matching the annotation |
Why this annotation
The top hub genes include SPIB (master transcription factor for plasmacytoid dendritic cells, pDCs), IL3RA (CD123, canonical pDC surface marker), CCL19 and CCL21 (lymphoid stromal/HEV chemokines), GP1BA (platelet/megakaryocyte marker), RAMP3 (receptor activity-modifying protein), KCNK13, CTSH (cathepsin H), ADRA2A, ANKRD29, TMEM163, NPB. The co-occurrence of SPIB and IL3RA strongly suggests pDC contamination, while CCL19/CCL21 could reflect lymphoid stromal fibroblasts or ambient RNA from lymphoid tissue. The UC-specific inflammation signal and very low expression (1.7% pct positive) support a rare contaminating cell type. The most parsimonious explanation is plasmacytoid DC contamination within the fibroblast dataset.
Genes
ADRA2A, ANKRD29, CCL19, CCL21, CTSH, GP1BA, IL3RA, KCNK13, NPB, RAMP3, SPIB, TMEM163
Most correlated modules
- Complement-producing Fibroblast · correlation 0.58
- IFN-γ MHC-II Response · correlation 0.53
Module annotations were drafted by a large language model from the module's genes, then reviewed and approved by a domain expert. See sources & licences.