Journal: Journal of Translational Autoimmunity

Article Title: Exploring the immunomodulatory effects of environmental contaminants on autoimmune patients: An in vitro approach

doi: 10.1016/j.jtauto.2025.100341

Figure Lengend Snippet: Modulation of intracellular signaling pathways in HD, RA, and SLE cells exposed to environmental contaminants. Heatmap showing the relative expression and phosphorylation levels of key signaling proteins involved in immune regulation, inflammation, and cell survival (STAT1, STAT3, p38, AKT, and NFκB) and their phosphorylated forms in HD, RA, and SLE after exposure to PM, silica, and TCDD. Data are represented as z-score normalized values. Asterisks indicate statistically significant differences compared with the unstimulated control within each group (p < 0.05). AKT: protein kinase B; HD: healthy donors; NFκB: nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells; P: phosphorylated form; p38: p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase; PM: particulate matter; RA: rheumatoid arthritis; SLE: systemic lupus erythematosus; STAT: signal transducer and activator of transcription; TCDD: 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin.

Article Snippet: Membranes were blocked with 5 % non-fat milk in TBS-T and incubated overnight at 4 °C with primary antibodies against phospho-AKT (Thr308), phospho-NFκB p65 (Ser536), phospho-p38 MAPK (Thr180/Tyr182), phospho-STAT1 (Tyr701), and phospho-STAT3 (Tyr705) (Cell Signaling Technology, Danvers, MA, USA; Santa Cruz Biotechnology, Dallas, TX, USA).

Techniques: Protein-Protein interactions, Expressing, Phospho-proteomics, Control

Journal: Frontiers in Immunology

Article Title: STAT1 and IL-7 as potential diagnostic biomarkers for distinguishing high-grade from low-grade serous ovarian cancer: a multi-cohort analysis

doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2026.1779912

Figure Lengend Snippet: In-depth profiling of four pivotal DIRGs. (A) Genomic annotation: Chromosomal locations of the four key DIRGs. (B) Sample stratification: PCA plot showing sample clustering driven by the four-gene expression profile. (C) The relative expression levels of the four genes between LGSOC and HGSOC from the training group. (D) Predictive performance: ROC curve analysis quantifying the diagnostic accuracy of each gene from the training group. (E) The relative expression levels of the four genes between LGSOC and HGSOC from the test group. (F) ROC curves for STAT1 and IL-7 in the combined validation set ( GSE14001 + GSE73168 + GSE146965 , total n=55 HGSOC, n=13 LGSOC). AUC values: STAT1 = 0.703, IL-7 = 0.706 (*P < 0.05). Note that GSE146965 contains only HGSOC samples; separate ROC analyses for datasets containing both subtypes are provided in Supplementary Figures S8 , . (G) Diagnostic model construction: A two-gene nomogram integrating STAT1 and IL-7 for individualized risk prediction. The final model was refined from STAT1 - IL-7 gene panel after external validation. (H) Calibration curve of a model composed of STAT1 and IL-7 .

Article Snippet: We used primary antibodies, including anti - STAT1 (Affbiotech, China) and anti - IL-7 (Affbiotech, China).

Techniques: Gene Expression, Expressing, Diagnostic Assay, Biomarker Discovery

Journal: Frontiers in Immunology

Article Title: STAT1 and IL-7 as potential diagnostic biomarkers for distinguishing high-grade from low-grade serous ovarian cancer: a multi-cohort analysis

doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2026.1779912

Figure Lengend Snippet: IHC validation of candidate diagnostic biomarkers. (A) Validation of STAT1 expression: IHC analysis reveals significantly higher expression of STAT1 in HGSOC tissues (n=26) compared to LGSOC controls (n=12). (B) Validation of IL-7 expression: Significantly downregulated IL-7 expression in HGSOC tissues compared to LGSOC controls. Representative IHC staining images (×40 and ×200) are displayed for each gene. *P < 0.05; ***P < 0.001.

Article Snippet: We used primary antibodies, including anti - STAT1 (Affbiotech, China) and anti - IL-7 (Affbiotech, China).

Techniques: Biomarker Discovery, Diagnostic Assay, Expressing, Immunohistochemistry

Journal: Frontiers in Immunology

Article Title: STAT1 and IL-7 as potential diagnostic biomarkers for distinguishing high-grade from low-grade serous ovarian cancer: a multi-cohort analysis

doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2026.1779912

Figure Lengend Snippet: Association of the immune microenvironment with STAT1 and IL-7 expression. (A) Comparative Analysis: Stacked bar plot illustrating the composition of 22 immune cell types in HGSOC versus LGSOC. (B) Boxplots showing the relative abundances of 22 immune cell types between HGSOC (n=56) and LGSOC (n=13) samples. * indicates FDR-adjusted q < 0.05 (Mann–Whitney U test with Benjamini–Hochberg correction). Monocytes showed a lower fraction in HGSOC (raw P = 0.026), but this did not remain significant after multiple testing correction (FDR q = 0.095). (C) Bubble plot of Spearman correlations between STAT1/IL-7 expression and 22 immune cell types in HGSOC samples. The size of each bubble is proportional to the absolute value of the correlation coefficient (|ρ|), and the color represents the direction and strength of the correlation (blue: negative; red: positive). Asterisks (*) indicate correlations that remained statistically significant after Benjamini–Hochberg FDR correction (q < 0.05). Only the STAT1 –M1 macrophage correlation passed this threshold.

Article Snippet: We used primary antibodies, including anti - STAT1 (Affbiotech, China) and anti - IL-7 (Affbiotech, China).

Techniques: Expressing, MANN-WHITNEY

Journal: Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy

Article Title: Bioengineered iPSC-derived human macrophages with increased angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) expression suppress solid tumor growth

doi: 10.1038/s41392-026-02650-3

Figure Lengend Snippet: Determination of M1 vs. M2 polarization in iMac. a Pro-inflammatory M1 cytokines IL-1β, TNFα, IL-6, and IL-8 measured by ELISA. b Anti-inflammatory M2 cytokines IL-4, IL-10, IL-13, CCL5, CCL17, and CCL20 measured by ELISA. For a , b iMac were cultured in 6-well plates (3 × 10 6 cells/well). To challenge with tumor factors, iMac were co-cultured with 50% fresh supernatant from SK-MEL-28 cells every 24 h for 3 days. Supernatants were collected during the final 24 h for cytokine measurement. c Activation (phosphorylation) of NF-kB p65, STAT1, STAT3, and STAT6 in iMac was determined using Western blotting after conditioning with melanoma (SK-MEL-28) supernatant for 72 h. Protein band intensity was quantified using Odyssey version 3.0 software. After adjusting for loading using the β-actin band, data are presented as fold change to the iMac (Dox-) group, which is set as 1. For a – c , one-way ANOVA with Bonferroni’s correction for multiple comparisons was used to analyze group comparisons. Data are presented as means ± SD. Each experiment was performed three times, with triplicate samples each time. * p < 0.05, *** p < 0.001, and **** p < 0.0001

Article Snippet: The polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) membranes were incubated with specific primary antibodies against ACE (R&D Systems, MAB9291, 1:1,000), GAPDH (Sigma-Aldrich, SAB5600208, 1:2,000), β-actin (Sigma-Aldrich, A3854; 1:1000), phosphorylated NF-kB p65 (Novus, NB100-82086, 1:500), phosphorylated STAT1 (R&D Systems, AF2894, 1 μg/ml), phosphorylated STAT3 (Novus, NBP2-24463, 0.5 μg/ml), or phosphorylated STAT6 (Millipore, 06-937, 1:1000).

Techniques: Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay, Cell Culture, Activation Assay, Phospho-proteomics, Western Blot, Software

Journal: The Journal of Experimental Medicine

Article Title: IFNγ-induced memory in human macrophages is sustained by the durability of cytokine signaling itself

doi: 10.1084/jem.20250976

Figure Lengend Snippet: Ruxolitinib blocks LPS and IFNγ-induced Janus kinase signaling. (A) Human macrophages were pre-treated with increasing concentrations of ruxolitinib for 15 min and subsequently stimulated with IFNγ (100 ng/ml) or LPS (100 ng/ml) for 3 h. Whole-cell lysate western blots showing effect of ruxolitinib on STAT1 and STAT2 phosphorylation by each stimulus. Blot is representative of two replicates from separate human donors. (B and C) Quantification of pSTAT2 and (C) pSTAT1 band intensities in A. Source data are available for this figure: .

Article Snippet: The following primary antibodies were used: pSTAT1 pY701.4A (#136229; Santa Cruz Biotechnology, RRID:AB_2019074) diluted at 1:10,000, IRF1 D5E4 (#8478; Cell Signaling Technologies, RRID:AB_10949108) diluted at 1:1,000, β-tubulin TUB2.1 (T5201; Sigma-Aldrich, RRID:AB_609915) diluted at 1:10,000, and GAPDH H-12 (#166574; Santa Cruz Biotechnology, RRID:AB_2107296) diluted at 1:10,000.

Techniques: Western Blot, Phospho-proteomics

Journal: The Journal of Experimental Medicine

Article Title: IFNγ-induced memory in human macrophages is sustained by the durability of cytokine signaling itself

doi: 10.1084/jem.20250976

Figure Lengend Snippet: IFNγ induces long-lasting transcription factor activity and chromatin accessibility after washout. Macrophages were treated with LPS, IFNγ, and LPS in the presence of ruxolitinib for 8 h, as in . Cells were washed and cultured for an additional 88 h. ATACseq was performed after 8 h of stimulation and 4 days after washout. (A) Heatmap of Z-scored reads within ATAC peaks induced by either LPS or IFNγ (L2FC > 2, FDR < 0.01). Clusters were generated by unsupervised k-means clustering. Each column represents a biological replicate from the same human donor. (B) Top enriched motifs in clusters from A. (C) Boxplot quantifying log2 cpm of reads within IFNγ-induced ATAC peaks before and after cytokine washout. (D) Boxplot quantifying log2 cpm of reads within LPS-induced ATAC peaks before and after cytokine washout. (E) Boxplot quantifying log2 cpm of reads within ATAC peaks induced by both IFNγ and LPS (L2FC > 2, FDR < 0.01 for each) peaks before and after cytokine washout. (F) Barplot quantifying percent of transcription factor-bound motifs within STAT1 and IRF1 (IFNγ) and IRF1 and NF-κB (LPS) within induced ATAC peaks in C and D for unstimulated, IFNγ/LPS-stimulated macrophages, and stimulated macrophages 4 days after washout. Motif binding predicted using TOBIAS ATACseq footprinting analysis. Results are average of two technical replicates from a single subject; error bars display standard deviation. (G) Human macrophages were stimulated with IFNγ (100 ng/ml), LPS (100 ng/ml), or IFNβ (10 ng/ml) for 8 h, washed, and then cultured for an additional 66 h. Cells were collected, and whole cell western blotting for phosphorylated STAT1 was performed at the indicated time points. Blot is representative of three replicates from two separate human donors. All box/whisker plots indicate interquartile range and 1.5× interquartile range. Statistical tests were determined by paired Wilcoxon test. ****P < 0.0001. Source data are available for this figure: .

Article Snippet: The following primary antibodies were used: pSTAT1 pY701.4A (#136229; Santa Cruz Biotechnology, RRID:AB_2019074) diluted at 1:10,000, IRF1 D5E4 (#8478; Cell Signaling Technologies, RRID:AB_10949108) diluted at 1:1,000, β-tubulin TUB2.1 (T5201; Sigma-Aldrich, RRID:AB_609915) diluted at 1:10,000, and GAPDH H-12 (#166574; Santa Cruz Biotechnology, RRID:AB_2107296) diluted at 1:10,000.

Techniques: Activity Assay, Cell Culture, Generated, Binding Assay, Footprinting, Standard Deviation, Western Blot, Whisker Assay

Journal: The Journal of Experimental Medicine

Article Title: IFNγ-induced memory in human macrophages is sustained by the durability of cytokine signaling itself

doi: 10.1084/jem.20250976

Figure Lengend Snippet: Cell surface–bound IFNγ mediates persistent signaling regardless of cytokine manufacturer and can be degraded by trypsinization. (A) Quantification of pSTAT1 intensity normalized to 3H IFNγ in . (B) Human macrophages were treated with Escherichia coli sourced IFNγ purchased from PeproTech and mammalian-sourced IFNγ purchased from Sigma-Aldrich and ACRO. Cells were treated at 100 ng/ml for 8 h, washed, and cultured for an additional 48 h in regular media prior to collection. Cells were collected for immunoblot at the indicated times. Representative blot of duplicates from one human subject. (C) Quantification of pSTAT1 band intensity normalized to tubulin at each time point in B. (D) Human A549 airway epithelial cells were stimulated with 100 ng/ml IFNγ, washed, and cultured for an additional 72 h. Cells were collected for immunoblot at the indicated timepoints. Representative blot of two replicates. (E) Quantification of pSTAT1 band intensity normalized to tubulin at each time point in D. (F) Human macrophages were treated with 100 ng/ml IFNγ for 8 h, washed, and lifted by scraping after incubation with either PBS, 0.5 mM EDTA in PBS, or trypsin. Cells were replated and cultured for an additional 24 h in regular media. Cells were collected for immunoblot at the indicated times. (G) Quantification of pSTAT1 band intensity normalized to GAPDH for each condition in F. Statistical tests were determined by single-tailed t test. *P < 0.05; **P < 0.01. Source data are available for this figure: .

Article Snippet: The following primary antibodies were used: pSTAT1 pY701.4A (#136229; Santa Cruz Biotechnology, RRID:AB_2019074) diluted at 1:10,000, IRF1 D5E4 (#8478; Cell Signaling Technologies, RRID:AB_10949108) diluted at 1:1,000, β-tubulin TUB2.1 (T5201; Sigma-Aldrich, RRID:AB_609915) diluted at 1:10,000, and GAPDH H-12 (#166574; Santa Cruz Biotechnology, RRID:AB_2107296) diluted at 1:10,000.

Techniques: Cell Culture, Western Blot, Incubation

Journal: The Journal of Experimental Medicine

Article Title: IFNγ-induced memory in human macrophages is sustained by the durability of cytokine signaling itself

doi: 10.1084/jem.20250976

Figure Lengend Snippet: Cell surface–bound IFNγ mediates persistent JAK/STAT signaling even after cytokine washout. (A) Human macrophages were stimulated with IFNγ (100 ng/ml) for 8 h, washed, and then cultured in regular media or media containing ruxolitinib (1 µM) or increasing concentrations of anti-IFNγ neutralizing antibody for an additional 28 h. Cells were collected, and whole cell western blotting for phosphorylated STAT1 and IRF1 was performed at indicated time points. Representative blot of duplicates from two separate subjects. (B) Human macrophages were stimulated with 100 ng/ml IFNγ for 3 h, washed, and then cultured in either ruxolitinib (1 µM), anti-IFNγ neutralizing antibody (10 µg/ml), or isotype control antibody (10 µg/ml) for 2 h. Samples were collected at the indicated times for immunoblot. Representative blot of duplicates from two separate subjects. (C) Quantification of pSTAT1 band intensities from B. (D) Human macrophages were stimulated with 100 ng/ml IFNγ for 8 h, washed, and cultured for an additional 88 h in regular media. Supernatants from stimulated macrophages were collected after the 8-h stimulation and 88 h after washout. This supernatant was used to stimulate fresh macrophages for 1 h in the presence/absence of ruxolitinib (1 µM) or anti-IFNγ neutralizing antibody (10 µg/ml). As a control, fresh macrophages were stimulated with media supplemented with 1 ng/ml IFNγ for 1 h. Representative blot of duplicates from two separate subjects. (E) Macrophages were left in regular media or pre-treated with 10 µg/ml CHX for 15 min and stimulated with 100 ng/ml IFNγ for 3 h. Treated macrophages were washed and subsequently cultured for 2 h in regular media, media supplemented with 10 µg/ml CHX, or anti-IFNγ neutralizing antibody (10 µg/ml) and collected for immunoblot. Duplicates from one subject are shown. (F) Quantification of pSTAT1 band intensities in E normalized to band intensity of macrophages treated with IFNγ for 3 h. (G) Human macrophages were stimulated with 100 ng/ml IFNγ for 8 h, washed, and cultured in regular media or media supplemented with 1 µM ruxolitinib for 16 h. After 16 h, cells were washed again and cultured in regular media for an additional 24 h. Cells were collected for immunoblot at indicated times. Representative blot of four replicates from two subjects. (H) Quantification of pSTAT1 band intensities in G normalized to band intensity of macrophages treated with IFNγ for 3 h. Statistical tests were determined by a single-tailed t test. *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, and ***P < 0.001. Source data are available for this figure: .

Article Snippet: The following primary antibodies were used: pSTAT1 pY701.4A (#136229; Santa Cruz Biotechnology, RRID:AB_2019074) diluted at 1:10,000, IRF1 D5E4 (#8478; Cell Signaling Technologies, RRID:AB_10949108) diluted at 1:1,000, β-tubulin TUB2.1 (T5201; Sigma-Aldrich, RRID:AB_609915) diluted at 1:10,000, and GAPDH H-12 (#166574; Santa Cruz Biotechnology, RRID:AB_2107296) diluted at 1:10,000.

Techniques: Cell Culture, Western Blot, Control

Journal: Journal of Advanced Research

Article Title: Transglutaminase 2 modulates inflammatory angiogenesis via vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 pathway in inflammatory bowel disease

doi: 10.1016/j.jare.2025.07.002

Figure Lengend Snippet: STAT1-TGM2-VEGFR2 axis drives inflammatory angiogenesis in IBD. (A) The mRNA transcription of TGM2 was significantly upregulated upon stimulation with inflammatory cytokines IL-9, IL-23, and IFN-γ in HIMECs (n = 3 in each group). (B, C) The results of WB demonstrated that stimulation with IL-9, IL-23, and IFN-γ upregulated the protein expression of TGM2 in HIMEC. (D) Stimulation with inflammatory cytokines IL-9, IL-23, and IFN-γ significantly augmented the in vitro angiogenic capacity of HIMECs, while knockdown of TGM2 effectively reversed this effect. (E, F) IL-9, IL-23 and IFN-γ stimulation significantly enhanced the phosphorylation of VEGFR2 at Tyr1059, Tyr1214 and activated the downstream pathways such as FAK, PLC-γ and MAPK pathways in HIMEC, which were reversed by TGM2 knockdown. (G) IF results showed VEGFR2 co-localizes with TGM2 in HIMEC, mainly on the cell membrane. (H) Co-IP results substantiated the interaction between TGM2 and VEGFR2. (I) The CHIP assay confirmed the binding of STAT1 to the upstream promoter region of TGM2, thereby facilitating transcription following IFN-γ stimulation. (* p < 0.05, ** p < 0.01, *** p < 0.001, **** p < 0.0001).

Article Snippet: The antibody-protein complexes were immunoprecipitated using an anti-p-STAT1 antibody (9107, CST, USA) and control IgG.

Techniques: Expressing, In Vitro, Knockdown, Phospho-proteomics, Membrane, Co-Immunoprecipitation Assay, Binding Assay