Fig. 1

Elevated RhoA expression correlates positively with type I IFN-inducible gene expression and IFN scores. A Significantly higher expression of RhoA mRNA in the PBMCs of SLE patients (n = 36) than in healthy controls (HC, n = 60). B–E Correlations between RhoA expression and the type I IFN-inducible genes OAS1, CXCL10, IFIT3, and MX1 in SLE patients. F Type I IFN scores calculated by integrating the relative expression of the OAS1, CXCL10, IFIT3, and MX1 genes in the SLE and HC groups. G RhoA was highly expressed in high-type I IFN-scoring patients. The dotted line represents the mean ± 2SD of the HC values. H Positive correlation between type I IFN scores and SLEDAI values. I Positive correlation between RhoA expression levels and SLEDAI values. Bars in A and G show the mean ± SEM. Each symbol represents an individual sample. Expression is defined as the relative expression of the gene of interest in comparison to GAPDH. *p < 0.05, ***p < 0.001 A and G by Mann–Whitney U test and B-F, H, and I by Spearman rank correlation test