{
  "abstract": "Autoimmune liver diseases (AILDs) involve a group of distinct disorders, but the differences in pathogenic subpopulations that drive hepatocyte or bile duct injury remain unclear. This study characterizes immune niche heterogeneity across AILD subtypes using single-cell RNA sequencing and verifies findings with animal models. We identified distinct immune cell states and functions by analyzing the heterogeneity of T cell and macrophage subsets and the impact of non-immune cell-derived signals on macrophage identity. This allowed us to characterize two distinct immunopathogenic ecotypes between hepatitis and cholestatic phenotypes. Mechanistic analysis predicted the Bmp–Acvrl1/Eng–Fosb signaling axis as a critical transcriptional regulator driving the repair phenotype of macrophages. Notably, Eng (endoglin) emerged as a regulatory receptor controlling macrophage phenotypic transition, especially during the recovery phase of cholestatic disease. Collectively, this study provides a comprehensive atlas of immune cell niches across AILDs, offering new mechanistic insights into disease heterogeneity and identifying macrophage maturation as a promising target for stratified therapeutic intervention in cholestatic disease.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Shanghai Institute of Digestive Disease, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 145 Middle Shandong Road, Shanghai 200001, China"
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 8,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Peiyi Zhao",
      "orcid": "0009-0004-5436-4376"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Li Zhao"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Huayang Zhang"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Xiting Pu"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Jun Qian"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Yudong Zhao"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Zhengrui You"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Xiong Ma"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/7rpg6cx7z8gkp.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.3390/ijms27209323",
  "fulltext_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13705488",
  "id": "7rpg6cx7z8gkp",
  "issns": [
    "1422-0067"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/27/20/9323",
  "language": "eng",
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "2721|Liver Diseases and Immunity"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7223016392",
  "pdf_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13705488?pdf=render",
  "pmcid": "PMC13705488",
  "pmid": "42942090",
  "published": "2026-10-20",
  "publisher": "MDPI AG",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/7rpg6cx7z8gkp.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:18:57Z",
      "native_id": "10.3390/ijms27209323",
      "source": "crossref",
      "url": "https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/27/20/9323"
    },
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:22:12Z",
      "native_id": "MED:42942090",
      "source": "europepmc",
      "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42942090"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "openalex:2721|Liver Diseases and Immunity",
      "subfield": "general"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Single-Cell Transcriptomic Analysis Reveals Distinct Pathogenic Subtypes in Hepatocyte- and Cholangiocyte-Directed Autoimmune Liver Injury",
  "title_text": "Single-Cell Transcriptomic Analysis Reveals Distinct Pathogenic Subtypes in Hepatocyte- and Cholangiocyte-Directed Autoimmune Liver Injury",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:22:12Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/7rpg6cx7z8gkp",
  "venue": "International Journal of Molecular Sciences",
  "versions": []
}