Publication Name	World Journal of Hepatology
Manuscript ID	116738
Country	China

Category	Immunology
Manuscript Type	Basic Study
Article Title	Plasma exosomal miR-137 activates natural killer cells in primary biliary cholangitis by targeting NFATC1
Manuscript Source	Unsolicited Manuscript
All Author List	Yi-Fei Yang, Qi-Xuan Liu, Wen-Hao Su, Bo Zang, Bing-Qian Liu, Chen-Yang Zhao, Yi-Bing Han, Ling-Wei Liu, Patrick S C Leung and Bin Liu
Funding Agency and Grant Number	Funding Agency Grant Number National Natural Science Foundation of China No. 81671600 and No. 81241094 the Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province No. ZR2023MH066
Corresponding Author	Bin Liu, Professor, Department of Rheumatology, Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, No. 16 Jiangsu Road, Qingdao 266000, Shandong Province, China. binliu72314@163.com
Key Words	Primary biliary cholangitis; Exosomes; MiR-137; Natural killer cell; Granzyme B
Core Tip	This study identifies elevated exosomal miR-137-3p in primary biliary cholangitis plasma as a key driver of natural killer cell hyperactivation. Mechanistically, miR-137-3p directly targets and inhibits nuclear factor of activated T cell 1, leading to upregulation of the activation marker CD16 and enhanced secretion of the cytotoxic molecule granzyme B. These findings define miR-137-3p as a novel diagnostic biomarker and suggest that targeting the miR-137-3p/nuclear factor of activated T cell 1 axis could be a promising therapeutic strategy for primary biliary cholangitis by alleviating natural killer cell-mediated bile duct injury.
Citation	Yang YF, Liu QX, Su WH, Zang B, Liu BQ, Zhao CY, Han YB, Liu LW, Leung PSC, Liu B. Plasma exosomal miR-137 activates natural killer cells in primary biliary cholangitis by targeting NFATC1. World J Hepatol 2026; In press

Received	2025-11-19 12:33
Peer-Review Started	2025-11-19 12:33
First Decision by Editorial Office Director	2025-12-05 08:59
Return for Revision	2025-12-05 08:59
Revised	2026-02-25 14:47
Publication Fee Transferred	2026-03-01 14:59
Second Decision by Editor	2026-04-28 02:42
Second Decision by Editor-in-Chief
Final Decision by Editorial Office Director	2026-04-28 07:29
Articles in Press	2026-04-28 07:29
Edit the Manuscript by Language Editor
Typeset the Manuscript

ISSN	1948-5182 (online)
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