Chemokine-secreting Fibroblasts
Gene co-expression module in Fibroblasts
| Category | Inflammatory |
|---|---|
| Genes | 19 |
| Annotation certainty | 4 of 5 |
| Annotation consistency | 11 of 19 genes have a known function matching the annotation |
Why this annotation
Hub genes include MMP9 (gelatinase B, strong inflammatory ECM protease), CXCL5 (neutrophil-attracting chemokine, inflammation), MMP13 (collagenase-3, ECM degradation), CHI3L2 (chitinase-like, inflammation), CXCL13 (B-cell attracting chemokine, tertiary lymphoid structures in IBD), MT1E/MT1X/MT1M (metallothioneins, stress/metal response), IL24 (IL-20 family cytokine, inflammation), IGFBP2 (growth factor binding), CA12 (carbonic anhydrase, hypoxia-related), SLAMF8 (immune cell signaling). The combination of MMP9, CXCL5, CXCL13, MMP13, and IL24 in inflamed fibroblasts represents a chemokine/protease-secreting inflammatory program. CXCL13 expression by fibroblasts is a hallmark of tertiary lymphoid structure formation in IBD. Upregulated in both UC and CD inflammation.
Genes
CA12, CCBE1, CHI3L2, CPXM2, CXCL13, CXCL5, GAS1, GPM6B, IGFBP2, IL24, MMP13, MMP9, MT1E, MT1M, MT1X, NRCAM, PI15, SBSN, SLAMF8
Most correlated modules
- Activated Myofibroblast State · correlation 0.66
- MMP-driven Fibroblast Remodeling · correlation 0.65
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.