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Chronic Salmonella Infection Induced Intestinal Fibrosis
Published on: September 22, 2019
Integrative Transcriptomic Analysis Identifies Shared Immune-Fibrotic Transcriptional Programs Across Crohn's Disease
Renwei Luo1, Qiong Zhang1, Qinglu Fan1
1Department of Thoracic Surgery, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430060, China.
International Journal of Molecular Sciences
|May 27, 2026
Summary
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and Crohn's disease (CD) share common molecular pathways. This study identified three core genes (ZNF395, EEF2K, BAHD1) involved in immune and fibrotic processes common to both diseases.
Area of Science:
- Genomics
- Immunology
- Fibrosis Research
Background:
- Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and Crohn's disease (CD) exhibit overlapping immune and fibrotic characteristics.
- The precise molecular mechanisms underlying these shared processes are not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify shared transcriptional signatures between IPF and CD using integrative transcriptomic analysis.
- To uncover conserved molecular mechanisms driving fibrosis and inflammation in distinct organs.
Main Methods:
- Integrative analysis of nine public transcriptomic datasets.
- Differential gene expression profiling, weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA), and machine learning.
- Immune deconvolution and single-cell RNA sequencing for cellular association.
Main Results:
- Identified 28 shared disease-associated module genes, prioritizing ZNF395, EEF2K, and BAHD1.
- These core genes are implicated in immune regulation, protein homeostasis, and stress response.
- Downregulation of these genes observed during fibrotic remodeling in experimental models.
Conclusions:
- Identified conserved immune-fibrotic transcriptional programs shared between intestinal inflammation (CD) and pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).
- Provides a molecular framework for understanding pulmonary manifestations in Crohn's disease.
- Highlights ZNF395, EEF2K, and BAHD1 as candidate genes for further mechanistic studies in fibrosis.
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