{
  "abstract": "BK polyomavirus–associated nephropathy (BKPyVAN) remains a major cause of allograft dysfunction after kidney transplantation. To define peripheral immune signatures associated with distinct clinical states of BKPyV infection, we performed single-cell RNA sequencing of peripheral blood mononuclear cells from kidney transplant recipients across three clinical states: stable graft function (n = 1), BKPyV DNAemia (n = 2), and biopsy-proven BKPyVAN (n = 3). We identified 17 immune cell populations and observed remodeling of both the innate and adaptive compartments. Monocyte subsets differed across clinical states, with CD16 ⁺ non-classical monocytes enriched in BKPyV DNAemia and inflammatory monocytes more abundant in BKPyVAN. CD8 ⁺ T-cell frequency was higher in BKPyVAN than in BKPyV DNAemia, while NK-cell frequency was lower in BKPyV DNAemia and BKPyVAN than in Stable, consistent with altered antiviral surveillance. A rare but transcriptionally distinct population, termed Activated Effector Cells (AECs), comprised only 0.60% of cells in BKPyVAN (104 of 17,238 cells) yet accounted for 12.15% of cluster-associated marker calls, the highest among the 17 populations, and displayed marked enrichment of cell cycle and RNA metabolic pathways. Across multiple lineages, AUC-based gene set enrichment analysis revealed convergent activation of RNA processing and intracellular transport pathways. Pseudobulk differential expression and permutation testing supported condition-associated transcriptional signatures, and leading-edge gene analysis identified candidate transcriptional readouts, including cell cycle regulators, inflammatory mediators, and RNA processing genes, with potential utility for blood-based monitoring. These findings reveal peripheral immune remodeling across the clinical states of BK polyomavirus infection and highlight the value of resolving rare, transcriptionally distinct immune populations, providing a rationale for noninvasive, transcriptomics-informed monitoring and risk stratification strategies.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Department of Medical Sciences, Graduate School of The Catholic University of Korea , ,",
    "Division of Nephrology, Department of Internal Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Bucheon St. Mary’s Hospital , ,",
    "Division of Nephrology, Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea , ,",
    "Department of Laboratory Medicine, Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea , ,"
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 4,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Hyunjoo Bae"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Eun Jeong Ko"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Byung Ha Chung"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Eun-Jee Oh"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/dx9q659vqh0qv.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.3389/fimmu.2026.1939071",
  "fulltext_url": "https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13668843/?tool=EBI",
  "id": "dx9q659vqh0qv",
  "issns": [
    "1664-3224"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13668843",
  "language": "eng",
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "2730|Polyomavirus and related diseases"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7215084555",
  "pdf_url": "https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13668843/pdf/?tool=EBI",
  "pmcid": "PMC13668843",
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-01",
  "publisher": "Frontiers Media SA",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/dx9q659vqh0qv.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:18:18Z",
      "native_id": "PMC:PMC13668843",
      "source": "europepmc",
      "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13668843"
    },
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:19:15Z",
      "native_id": "10.3389/fimmu.2026.1939071",
      "source": "crossref",
      "url": "https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2026.1939071/full"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "openalex:2730|Polyomavirus and related diseases",
      "subfield": "oncology"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Single-cell profiling of peripheral immune remodeling in BK polyomavirus–associated nephropathy after kidney transplantation",
  "title_text": "Single-cell profiling of peripheral immune remodeling in BK polyomavirus–associated nephropathy after kidney transplantation",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:19:15Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/dx9q659vqh0qv",
  "venue": "Frontiers in immunology",
  "versions": []
}