Matricellular ECM Homeostasis
Gene co-expression module in Glial cells
| Category | ECM remodeling |
|---|---|
| Genes | 8 |
| Annotation certainty | 4 of 5 |
| Annotation consistency | 8 of 8 genes have a known function matching the annotation |
Why this annotation
Hub genes SPARC and SPARCL1 are matricellular proteins abundantly expressed by glia and involved in ECM organization and neuroprotection. MATN2 and FSTL1 are secreted ECM-associated proteins. MARCKS is a membrane/actin signaling protein in glia. L1CAM is a neural cell adhesion molecule. MARVELD1 is a junction protein. SEMA3B is a semaphorin for neural guidance. The module is significantly downregulated in UC inflammation and recovers with remission, consistent with loss of homeostatic glial ECM signaling. The constellation of matricellular proteins (SPARC, SPARCL1, MATN2, FSTL1) is characteristic of glial niche maintenance. Neighbor modules (M45, M67) also show ECM/adhesion themes, supporting a shared homeostatic glial ECM neighborhood.
Genes
FSTL1, L1CAM, MARCKS, MARVELD1, MATN2, SEMA3B, SPARC, SPARCL1
Most correlated modules
- Neural Migration Scaffold · correlation 0.95
- Glial Adhesion Cytoskeletal · correlation 0.91
- Glial Myelination Identity · correlation 0.85
- Glial Synaptic Adhesion · correlation 0.82
- Neuroprotective Secretory · correlation 0.80
- Myelinating Schwann Cell · correlation 0.80
- Lysosomal Sphingolipid Metabolism · correlation 0.80
- Glial Homeostatic Identity · correlation 0.79
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.