{
  "abstract": "BackgroundGlycosylated RNAs (GlycoRNAs) participate in immune recognition and intercellular communication1, but their relationship with brain cell-type transcriptional signatures in major depressive disorder (MDD) remains unclear. We examined GlycoRNA-related transcriptional coupling with microglial and other cellular signatures in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC).\n\nMethodPostmortem DLPFC transcriptomic data from 22 controls and 26 MDD patients (GSE102556)2 were analyzed. GlycoRNA-related pathway enrichment was quantified using gene set variation analysis (GSVA)3, whereas microglial, neuronal, astrocytic, and oligodendrocytic signatures were derived using single-sample gene set enrichment analysis (ssGSEA)4-6. Pearson correlations, linear regression, and generalized estimating equations (GEE) evaluated cell-type-specific associations and diagnostic interactions. Exploratory GEE results underwent false discovery rate (FDR) correction.\n\nResultsNo differentially expressed genes survived FDR correction, and GlycoRNA-related and cell-type signatures did not differ significantly between groups. In controls, GlycoRNA enrichment was positively associated with the microglial signature ({beta} = 0.447, FDR-P = 0.006), with significantly weaker associations for neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes (all FDR-P < 0.05). The two-way GlycoRNA x is_microglia interaction was nominally significant ({beta} = 0.210, P = 0.048), confirming that GlycoRNA transcriptional coupling is substantially stronger for microglia than for the other three cell types combined. The microglial association was numerically attenuated in MDD ({beta} difference = -0.273, P = 0.167), but diagnostic interactions were nonsignificant.\n\nConclusionsGlycoRNA pathway transcriptional enrichment exhibits preferential microglial association in control DLPFC. Its possible attenuation in MDD remains.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "university of electronic science and technology of china"
  ],
  "article_type": "PUBLISHAHEADOFPRINT",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 3,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "R. Xu"
    },
    {
      "name": "Y. Zhang"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "M. Maes"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/acm3v6358gyrx.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.64898/2026.10.12.26365369",
  "fulltext_url": "https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.12.26365369v1.full",
  "id": "acm3v6358gyrx",
  "issns": [],
  "landing_url": "https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.12.26365369v1",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "medrxiv",
      "psychiatry and clinical psychology"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "2736|Treatment of Major Depression"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7221649445",
  "pdf_url": "https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.12.26365369v1.full.pdf",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-12",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/acm3v6358gyrx.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:20:58Z",
      "native_id": "10.64898/2026.10.12.26365369",
      "source": "medrxiv",
      "url": "https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.12.26365369v1"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "medrxiv:psychiatry and clinical psychology",
      "subfield": "psychiatry"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Attenuated GlycoRNA-microglial transcriptional coupling in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex of patients with major depressive disorder: an exploratory interaction-based in-silico analysis",
  "title_text": "Attenuated GlycoRNA-microglial transcriptional coupling in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex of patients with major depressive disorder: an exploratory interaction-based in-silico analysis",
  "type": "preprint",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:20:58Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/acm3v6358gyrx",
  "venue": "medRxiv",
  "versions": []
}