A compact five-gene immuno-fibrotic profile distinguishing systemic sclerosis subtypes with PXDN validated as a fibrosis-associated target
The integrative analysis identifies a concise immunofibrotic gene signature that robustly distinguishes SSc and its major subtypes, highlighting a potential nexus of immune-stromal interactions that may underlie disease heterogeneity, offering candidate biomarkers for molecular stratification and therapeutic targeting.