Figure 6

Expression-based TNF–TNFR signaling analysis and upstream NF-κB activation patterns in control and DKD kidneys: (A) Bubble plot showing expression-based TNF–TNFR signaling interactions in control group. Each bubble represents a sender–receiver cell pair, with TNF (ligand) expression used as a proxy for sender capacity and TNFRSF1A/TNFRSF1B (receptor) expression indicating receiver capacity. Bubble color indicates interaction strength (scaled by expression levels), and bubble size reflects the proportion of participating cells. (B) Bubble plot displaying TNF–TNFR signaling interactions in DKD kidneys. Format identical to panel A. TNF–TNFR communication trends are more pronounced in DKD. (C) Heatmap comparing control versus DKD differences in combined upstream NF-κB-related signaling pathways. Columns represent sender cell populations, rows represent receiver cell populations, and color intensity indicates relative changes in signaling strength (red = increased in DKD, blue = decreased in DKD). In DKD, major NF-κB senders include not only immune cells (cDC) but also renal resident populations.