<p>Dear Editor,</p><p>Our study presents a novel predictive machine learning model that demonstrates the potential of plasma cell-free RNA (cfRNA) for diagnosing and prognosing female androgenetic alopecia (FAGA). We identified cell-free <i>DNAJB9</i> as significantly associated with FAGA through bioinformatic analysis and machine learning followed by RT-qPCR validation (Figure 1A).</p><p>FAGA manifests heterogeneously,<span><sup>1</sup></span> often as diffuse thinning of the crown and frontal scalp.<span><sup>2</sup></span> It's pathogenesis critically involves androgen-hair follicle interactions and WNT and JAK-STAT signalling.<span><sup>3</sup></span> The cfRNA in bodily fluids have shown diagnostic/prognostic potential for various diseases.<span><sup>4</sup></span> Machine learning is increasingly used to analyse complex cfRNA data.<span><sup>5</sup></span> However, the potential association between cfRNA and FAGA remains unclear.</p><p>For subsequent analyses comparing disease severity, we focused on the ‘upper’ group as patients in the top 25% of the FAGA-Index (scores > 5.53) and the ‘lower’ group as those in the bottom 25% (scores < 1.92). Blood test results (Figure S1 and Table S2) showed no significant differences in various haematological and biochemical indicators between the FAGA and control groups. However, testosterone exhibited a significantly lower level in the ‘upper’ group (Figure S5), supporting that the FAGA-Index effectively enhances the stratification of patients by severity and may facilitate identification of other potential biomarkers in FAGA progression. Greater variation in principal component analysis (PCA) of cfRNA expression profiles between upper and lower FAGA subgroups, compared to that between FAGA and control groups, also suggested increased heterogeneity or molecular diversity within FAGA subtypes (Figure 1C and D).</p><p>The RNA biotypes were categorised based on Ensembl classifications with minor adjustments (Figure 1E). Analysis of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) showed that <i>CYTB</i>, <i>RNY1</i>, and <i>TMSB4X</i> were notably upregulated in FAGA patients, whilst <i>EEF1A1</i> was significantly downregulated (Figure 2A; Table S5). Furthermore, genes including <i>ND2</i>, <i>ATP6, ND6</i>, and <i>PARLP1</i> exhibited significant expression changes across varying disease severities (Table S7), suggesting their potential association with FAGA progression (Figure 2B). Functional enrichment analysis of these DEGs implicated pathways related to sensory perception, nuclear division, chromosome segregation, and mitosis in FAGA (Figure 2C and D; Tables S6 and S8). Pathway activity analysis reinforced the potential importance of JAK-STAT and WNTs pathways in FAGA (Figure 3A–C; Tables S17–S19). A comparison of transcription factor (TF) activities between FAGA patients and controls (Figure 3D; Table S9) revealed significantly increased activity of <i>NCOA3</i> and <i>MAX</i>. However, no significant di
{"title":"Cell-free transcriptomic profiles and mechanism insights in female androgenetic alopecia","authors":"Lingling Jia, Mingyang Lu, Siwei Deng, Yongcheng Jin, Changjiang Zhao, Ruiyu Luo, Yuan Zhu, Zihan Li, Zixuan An, Hua Jiang, Yufei Li","doi":"10.1002/ctm2.70471","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ctm2.70471","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Dear Editor,</p><p>Our study presents a novel predictive machine learning model that demonstrates the potential of plasma cell-free RNA (cfRNA) for diagnosing and prognosing female androgenetic alopecia (FAGA). We identified cell-free <i>DNAJB9</i> as significantly associated with FAGA through bioinformatic analysis and machine learning followed by RT-qPCR validation (Figure 1A).</p><p>FAGA manifests heterogeneously,<span><sup>1</sup></span> often as diffuse thinning of the crown and frontal scalp.<span><sup>2</sup></span> It's pathogenesis critically involves androgen-hair follicle interactions and WNT and JAK-STAT signalling.<span><sup>3</sup></span> The cfRNA in bodily fluids have shown diagnostic/prognostic potential for various diseases.<span><sup>4</sup></span> Machine learning is increasingly used to analyse complex cfRNA data.<span><sup>5</sup></span> However, the potential association between cfRNA and FAGA remains unclear.</p><p>For subsequent analyses comparing disease severity, we focused on the ‘upper’ group as patients in the top 25% of the FAGA-Index (scores > 5.53) and the ‘lower’ group as those in the bottom 25% (scores < 1.92). Blood test results (Figure S1 and Table S2) showed no significant differences in various haematological and biochemical indicators between the FAGA and control groups. However, testosterone exhibited a significantly lower level in the ‘upper’ group (Figure S5), supporting that the FAGA-Index effectively enhances the stratification of patients by severity and may facilitate identification of other potential biomarkers in FAGA progression. Greater variation in principal component analysis (PCA) of cfRNA expression profiles between upper and lower FAGA subgroups, compared to that between FAGA and control groups, also suggested increased heterogeneity or molecular diversity within FAGA subtypes (Figure 1C and D).</p><p>The RNA biotypes were categorised based on Ensembl classifications with minor adjustments (Figure 1E). Analysis of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) showed that <i>CYTB</i>, <i>RNY1</i>, and <i>TMSB4X</i> were notably upregulated in FAGA patients, whilst <i>EEF1A1</i> was significantly downregulated (Figure 2A; Table S5). Furthermore, genes including <i>ND2</i>, <i>ATP6, ND6</i>, and <i>PARLP1</i> exhibited significant expression changes across varying disease severities (Table S7), suggesting their potential association with FAGA progression (Figure 2B). Functional enrichment analysis of these DEGs implicated pathways related to sensory perception, nuclear division, chromosome segregation, and mitosis in FAGA (Figure 2C and D; Tables S6 and S8). Pathway activity analysis reinforced the potential importance of JAK-STAT and WNTs pathways in FAGA (Figure 3A–C; Tables S17–S19). A comparison of transcription factor (TF) activities between FAGA patients and controls (Figure 3D; Table S9) revealed significantly increased activity of <i>NCOA3</i> and <i>MAX</i>. However, no significant di","PeriodicalId":10189,"journal":{"name":"Clinical and Translational Medicine","volume":"15 11","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2025-11-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ctm2.70471","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145512239","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Hao Wang, Li Tang, Haiyang Zhou, Peilu Xie, Min Yue
<p>In October 2024, the World Health Organisation (WHO) designated non-typhoidal serovars of <i>Salmonella enterica</i> as a global high-risk agent for Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), spotlighting this urgent threat to global public health.<span><sup>1</sup></span> Unlike non-invasive serovars, which typically cause gastroenteritis, the invasive non-typhoidal <i>Salmonella</i> (iNTS) ones drive severe extraintestinal infections, responsible for approximately 87,100 deaths annually, with mortality rates of 18.1%.<span><sup>3</sup></span> The burden is critically compounded by the escalating crisis of antimicrobial resistance (AMR).</p><p>While historically recognised as a major public health issue in Africa,<span><sup>4</sup></span> often associated with HIV and malaria co-infections,<span><sup>5</sup></span> its epidemiology and transmission dynamics in other regions remain poorly understood. To fill the gap, our group has reported several invasive non-typhodial <i>Salmonella</i> serovars (Goldcoast, Livingstone, Telelkebir and Uzaramo) circulating.<span><sup>6-9</sup></span> Most recently, our large-scale genomic epidemiology study in China,<span><sup>10</sup></span> combining whole-genome sequencing with advanced Bayesian analyses, has uncovered a disturbing evolutionary shift from serovar Choleraesuis to Enteritidis. Challenging the conventional understanding of iNTS as a zoonotic disease transmitted from animals, our genomic evidence, as well as the patient cohort, demonstrates that iNTS is adapting to humans and evolving toward sustained human-to-human transmission.<span><sup>10</sup></span> Growing recognition of the bacterium's pandemic potential demands an urgent revision of global surveillance and targeted interventions.</p><p>Analysing the whole-genome sequencing (WGS) data of iNTS collected over the past three decades in China, the recent study revealed a significant epidemiological shift in China: The predominant serovar has transitioned from <i>S</i>. Choleraesuis, traditionally associated with swine, to <i>S</i>. Enteritidis,<span><sup>10</sup></span> a serovar notorious for its global outbreak-prone and frequent association with poultry.<span><sup>11-13</sup></span> This change indicates possible adaptive evolution driven by environmental changes (e.g. surge of poultry consumption, targeted interventions) or host interactions (e.g. immune pressure). Alarmingly, the genomic analysis<span><sup>10</sup></span> highlights a surge of AMR—86.54% of the iNTS strains possessing quinolone resistance, either through genetic mutations (e.g. <i>gyrA</i> mutations) or acquired genes (e.g. <i>qnr</i> genes). Furthermore, 66% of the isolates were multidrug-resistant (MDR). Of particular concern is the annually increasing detection rate of <i>bla<sub>CTX-M</sub></i> genes, conferring resistance to third-generation cephalosporins. Genetic context and co-localisation analyses implicate mobile genetic elements (MGEs)—plasmid
{"title":"Illuminating the genomic frontier of invasive non-typhoidal Salmonella infections","authors":"Hao Wang, Li Tang, Haiyang Zhou, Peilu Xie, Min Yue","doi":"10.1002/ctm2.70526","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ctm2.70526","url":null,"abstract":"<p>In October 2024, the World Health Organisation (WHO) designated non-typhoidal serovars of <i>Salmonella enterica</i> as a global high-risk agent for Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), spotlighting this urgent threat to global public health.<span><sup>1</sup></span> Unlike non-invasive serovars, which typically cause gastroenteritis, the invasive non-typhoidal <i>Salmonella</i> (iNTS) ones drive severe extraintestinal infections, responsible for approximately 87,100 deaths annually, with mortality rates of 18.1%.<span><sup>3</sup></span> The burden is critically compounded by the escalating crisis of antimicrobial resistance (AMR).</p><p>While historically recognised as a major public health issue in Africa,<span><sup>4</sup></span> often associated with HIV and malaria co-infections,<span><sup>5</sup></span> its epidemiology and transmission dynamics in other regions remain poorly understood. To fill the gap, our group has reported several invasive non-typhodial <i>Salmonella</i> serovars (Goldcoast, Livingstone, Telelkebir and Uzaramo) circulating.<span><sup>6-9</sup></span> Most recently, our large-scale genomic epidemiology study in China,<span><sup>10</sup></span> combining whole-genome sequencing with advanced Bayesian analyses, has uncovered a disturbing evolutionary shift from serovar Choleraesuis to Enteritidis. Challenging the conventional understanding of iNTS as a zoonotic disease transmitted from animals, our genomic evidence, as well as the patient cohort, demonstrates that iNTS is adapting to humans and evolving toward sustained human-to-human transmission.<span><sup>10</sup></span> Growing recognition of the bacterium's pandemic potential demands an urgent revision of global surveillance and targeted interventions.</p><p>Analysing the whole-genome sequencing (WGS) data of iNTS collected over the past three decades in China, the recent study revealed a significant epidemiological shift in China: The predominant serovar has transitioned from <i>S</i>. Choleraesuis, traditionally associated with swine, to <i>S</i>. Enteritidis,<span><sup>10</sup></span> a serovar notorious for its global outbreak-prone and frequent association with poultry.<span><sup>11-13</sup></span> This change indicates possible adaptive evolution driven by environmental changes (e.g. surge of poultry consumption, targeted interventions) or host interactions (e.g. immune pressure). Alarmingly, the genomic analysis<span><sup>10</sup></span> highlights a surge of AMR—86.54% of the iNTS strains possessing quinolone resistance, either through genetic mutations (e.g. <i>gyrA</i> mutations) or acquired genes (e.g. <i>qnr</i> genes). Furthermore, 66% of the isolates were multidrug-resistant (MDR). Of particular concern is the annually increasing detection rate of <i>bla<sub>CTX-M</sub></i> genes, conferring resistance to third-generation cephalosporins. Genetic context and co-localisation analyses implicate mobile genetic elements (MGEs)—plasmid","PeriodicalId":10189,"journal":{"name":"Clinical and Translational Medicine","volume":"15 11","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2025-11-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ctm2.70526","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145502393","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}