Activated Myofibroblast State
Gene co-expression module in Fibroblasts
| Category | Wound healing |
|---|---|
| Genes | 16 |
| Annotation certainty | 5 of 5 |
| Annotation consistency | 11 of 16 genes have a known function matching the annotation |
Why this annotation
Hub genes include CTHRC1 (collagen triple helix repeat containing 1, canonical activated/myofibroblast marker in fibrosis), FAP (fibroblast activation protein, hallmark of cancer-associated and inflammatory fibroblasts), SPHK1 (sphingosine kinase 1, pro-inflammatory/pro-survival signaling), SULF2 (heparan sulfate sulfatase, ECM remodeling/WNT modulation), EGFL6 (EGF-like domain, ECM), WNT2 (WNT ligand, fibroblast niche signaling), TWIST1 (EMT/mesenchymal transcription factor), BGN (biglycan, ECM proteoglycan), BMP1 (ECM protease/procollagen processing), CPXM1 (carboxypeptidase, ECM). This is the highest delta_inflammation module in the batch (UC: 1.572, CD: 1.008) with strong reversal in remission. CTHRC1 and FAP together define the activated/inflammatory fibroblast (iCAF/myofibroblast) state prominently described in IBD and cancer stroma.
Genes
BGN, BMP1, CPXM1, CTHRC1, EGFL6, FAP, KIAA0930, MASP1, OLFML2B, RCN3, RGS3, SPHK1, STEAP1, SULF2, TWIST1, WNT2
Most correlated modules
- Inflammatory ECM Remodeling · correlation 0.90
- Inflammatory Fibroblast Activation · correlation 0.82
- MMP-driven Fibroblast Remodeling · correlation 0.72
- Inflammatory Fibroblast Activation · correlation 0.69
- Chemokine-secreting Fibroblasts · correlation 0.66
- Inflammatory Fibroblast Activation · 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.