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Lyu J, Zhang H, Wang C, Pan M. New insight in treating autoimmune diseases by targeting autophagy. Autoimmunity 2024; 57:2351872. [PMID: 38739691 DOI: 10.1080/08916934.2024.2351872] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2024] [Accepted: 04/28/2024] [Indexed: 05/16/2024]
Abstract
Autophagy is a highly conserved biological process in eukaryotes, which degrades cellular misfolded proteins, damaged organelles and invasive pathogens in the lysosome-dependent manner. Autoimmune diseases caused by genetic elements, environments and aberrant immune responses severely impact patients' living quality and even threaten life. Recently, numerous studies have reported autophagy can regulate immune responses, and play an important role in autoimmune diseases. In this review, we summarised the features of autophagy and autophagy-related genes, enumerated some autophagy-related genes involved in autoimmune diseases, and further overviewed how to treat autoimmune diseases through targeting autophagy. Finally, we outlooked the prospect of relieving and curing autoimmune diseases by targeting autophagy pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiao Lyu
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, School of Life Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Hongqian Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, School of Life Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Chaoyang Wang
- The Key Medical Laboratory for Chemical Poison Detection of Henan Province, The Third People's Hospital of Henan Province, Zhengzhou, China
- Department of Biomedical Science, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Mingyu Pan
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, School of Life Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, China
- Department of Biomedical Science, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
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Chen K, Zhu P, Chu M, Tao H, Wang Q, Lv S, Huang L, Geng D. What do osteoporosis and osteoarthritis have in common? An integrated study of overlapping differentially expressed genes in bone mesenchymal stem cells of osteoporosis and osteoarthritis. Gene 2024; 893:147914. [PMID: 37865148 DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2023.147914] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2023] [Revised: 10/13/2023] [Accepted: 10/18/2023] [Indexed: 10/23/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE For identification of aberrantly expressed genes in mesenchymal stem cells of osteoporosis (OP) and osteoarthritis (OA), Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) datasets were integrated to investigate the intersection point. METHODS GSE35958 (osteoporosis) and GSE19664 (osteoarthritis) datasets were obtained from GEO database. The abnormally expressed genes were analyzed by GEO2R. Functional enrichment was explored by Metascape database and R software. The String database and Cytoscape software were used to build the protein-protein interaction network and identify hub genes. GSE35957 and GSE116925 were used as verification datasets. Single-cell analysis and pseudotime analysis were undertaken. CTDbase, Network Analyst, HPA database, HERB database and MIRW database were used to research the information, tissue and cell distribution, regulation, interaction and ingredients targeting the hub genes. Additionally, in vitro experiments such as RT-PCR, ALP staining and immunofluorescence were undertaken as verification tests. RESULTS Ten hub genes were identified in this study. All these genes play an important role in bone or cartilage generation. They have diagnostic values and therapeutic potential for OA and OP. Single-cell analysis visualized the cell distribution and pseudotime distribution of these genes. Some potential therapeutic ingredients of these genes were identified, such as curcumin, wogonin and glycerin. In vitro experiments, RT-PCR results showed that COL9A3 and MMP3 were downregulated and PTH1R was upregulated during osteogenic induction of BMSC. Immunohistochemical results showed the expression trend of MMP3 and COL2A1. CONCLUSION Ten abnormal hub genes of osteoporosis and osteoarthritis were identified successfully by this study. They were important regulatory genes for healthy bone and cartilage. These genes could be the common connections between osteoporosis and osteoarthritis as well as treatment targets. Further study of the regulatory mechanism and treatment effects of these genes would be valuable. The results of this study could contribute to further research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kai Chen
- Department of Orthopedics, Hai'an People's Hospital, Zhongba Road 17, Hai'an, Jiangsu 226600, China; Department of Orthopedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, No. 188 Shizi Street, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215000, China
| | - Pengfei Zhu
- Department of Orthopedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, No. 188 Shizi Street, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215000, China
| | - Miao Chu
- Department of Orthopedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, No. 188 Shizi Street, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215000, China; Department of Orthopedics, Yixing People's Hospital, Tongzhenguan Road 75, Yixing, Jiangsu 214200, China
| | - Huaqiang Tao
- Department of Orthopedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, No. 188 Shizi Street, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215000, China
| | - Qiufei Wang
- Department of Orthopedics, Changshu First People's Hospital, Shuyuan Road 1, Changshu, Jiangsu 215500, China
| | - Shujun Lv
- Department of Orthopedics, Hai'an People's Hospital, Zhongba Road 17, Hai'an, Jiangsu 226600, China.
| | - Lixin Huang
- Department of Orthopedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, No. 188 Shizi Street, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215000, China.
| | - Dechun Geng
- Department of Orthopedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, No. 188 Shizi Street, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215000, China.
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Qin J, Zhang J, Wu JJ, Ru X, Zhong QL, Zhao JM, Lan NH. Identification of autophagy-related genes in osteoarthritis articular cartilage and their roles in immune infiltration. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1263988. [PMID: 38090564 PMCID: PMC10711085 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1263988] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2023] [Accepted: 11/08/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Autophagy plays a critical role in the progression of osteoarthritis (OA), mainly by regulating inflammatory and immune responses. However, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate the potential relevance of autophagy-related genes (ARGs) associated with infiltrating immune cells in OA. Methods GSE114007, GSE169077, and ARGs were obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database and the Human Autophagy database. R software was used to identify the differentially expressed autophagy-related genes (DEARGs) in OA. Functional enrichment and protein-protein interaction (PPI) analyses were performed to explore the role of DEARGs in OA cartilage, and then Cytoscape was utilized to screen hub ARGs. Single-sample gene set enrichment analysis (ssGSEA) was used to conduct immune infiltration analysis and evaluate the potential correlation of key ARGs and immune cell infiltration. Then, the expression levels of hub ARGs in OA were further verified by the GSE169077 and qRT-PCR. Finally, Western blotting and immunohistochemistry were used to validate the final hub ARGs. Results A total of 24 downregulated genes and five upregulated genes were identified, and these genes were enriched in autophagy, mitophagy, and inflammation-related pathways. The intersection results identified nine hub genes, namely, CDKN1A, DDIT3, FOS, VEGFA, RELA, MAP1LC3B, MYC, HSPA5, and HSPA8. GSE169077 and qRT-PCR validation results showed that only four genes, CDKN1A, DDT3, MAP1LC3B, and MYC, were consistent with the bioinformatics analysis results. Western blotting and immunohistochemical (IHC) showed that the expression of these four genes was significantly downregulated in the OA group, which is consistent with the qPCR results. Immune infiltration correlation analysis indicated that DDIT3 was negatively correlated with immature dendritic cells in OA, and FOS was positively correlated with eosinophils. Conclusion CDKN1A, DDIT3, MAP1LC3B, and MYC were identified as ARGs that were closely associated with immune infiltration in OA cartilage. Among them, DDIT3 showed a strong negative correlation with immature dendritic cells. This study found that the interaction between ARGs and immune cell infiltration may play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of OA; however, the specific interaction mechanism needs further research to be clarified. This study provides new insights to further understand the molecular mechanisms of immunity involved in the process of OA by autophagy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Qin
- Guangxi Engineering Center in Biomedical Materials for Tissue and Organ Regeneration, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, China
- Guangxi Clinical Medical Research Center for Orthopedic Disease, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, China
- Department of Medical Cosmetology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, China
| | - Jin Zhang
- Department of Orthopaedics Trauma and Hand Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, China
| | - Jian-Jun Wu
- Department of Orthopedics, Zhanjiang Central Hospital, Guangdong Medical University, Zhanjiang, China
| | - Xiao Ru
- Guangxi Engineering Center in Biomedical Materials for Tissue and Organ Regeneration, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, China
- Guangxi Clinical Medical Research Center for Orthopedic Disease, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, China
| | - Qiu-Ling Zhong
- Guangxi Engineering Center in Biomedical Materials for Tissue and Organ Regeneration, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, China
- Guangxi Clinical Medical Research Center for Orthopedic Disease, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, China
| | - Jin-Min Zhao
- Guangxi Engineering Center in Biomedical Materials for Tissue and Organ Regeneration, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, China
- Guangxi Clinical Medical Research Center for Orthopedic Disease, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, China
- Department of Orthopaedics Trauma and Hand Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, China
- Research Centre for Regenerative Medicine, Department of Orthopedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, China
| | - Ni-Han Lan
- Guangxi Engineering Center in Biomedical Materials for Tissue and Organ Regeneration, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, China
- Guangxi Clinical Medical Research Center for Orthopedic Disease, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, China
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Miceli C, Leri M, Stefani M, Bucciantini M. Autophagy-related proteins: Potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers of aging-related diseases. Ageing Res Rev 2023; 89:101967. [PMID: 37270146 DOI: 10.1016/j.arr.2023.101967] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2023] [Revised: 05/19/2023] [Accepted: 05/31/2023] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Autophagy plays a key role in cellular, tissue and organismal homeostasis and in the production of the energy load needed at critical times during development and in response to nutrient shortage. Autophagy is generally considered as a pro-survival mechanism, although its deregulation has been linked to non-apoptotic cell death. Autophagy efficiency declines with age, thus contributing to many different pathophysiological conditions, such as cancer, cardiomyopathy, diabetes, liver disease, autoimmune diseases, infections, and neurodegeneration. Accordingly, it has been proposed that the maintenance of a proper autophagic activity contributes to the extension of the lifespan in different organisms. A better understanding of the interplay between autophagy and risk of age-related pathologies is important to propose nutritional and life-style habits favouring disease prevention as well as possible clinical applications aimed at promoting long-term health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caterina Miceli
- Telethon Institute of Genetics and Medicine (TIGEM), Naples, Italy
| | - Manuela Leri
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Massimo Stefani
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Monica Bucciantini
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences, University of Florence, Florence, Italy.
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Long L, Zou G, Cheng Y, Li F, Wu H, Shen Y. MATN3 delivered by exosome from synovial mesenchymal stem cells relieves knee osteoarthritis: Evidence from in vitro and in vivo studies. J Orthop Translat 2023; 41:20-32. [PMID: 37635810 PMCID: PMC10448336 DOI: 10.1016/j.jot.2023.06.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2022] [Revised: 06/28/2023] [Accepted: 06/29/2023] [Indexed: 08/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Synovial mesenchymal stem cell (SMSC) exerts chondroprotective effects in osteoarthritis (OA) clinical models. However, the regulatory potentials of SMSC-derived exosomes (SMSC-Exo) in OA still need to be discovered, which attracted our attention. Methods The destabilization of the medial meniscus surgery was performed on the knee joints of a mouse OA model, followed by injection of SMSC-Exo. In addition, SMSC-Exo was administrated to mouse chondrocytes to observe the functional and molecular alterations. Results Both of SMSC-Exo and overexpression of Matrilin-3 (MATN3) alleviated cartilage destruction and suppressed degradation of extracellular matrix (ECM) in the OA rat model. In addition, assays concerning the in vitro OA model induced by IL-1β showed that SMSC-Exo could promote chondrocyte viability and inhibit autophagy defects. Furthermore, SMSC-Exo achieved the chondroprotective effects through the delivery of MATN3/IL-17A, and MATN3 could suppress the activation of PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling through IL-17A. Conclusion SMSC-Exo exerts beneficial therapeutic effects on OA by preventing ECM degradation and autophagy defects by delivering MATN3/IL-17A. The Translational Potential of this Article The translational potential of this study is not only limited to the treatment of knee osteoarthritis but also provides new insights for the treatment of other joint diseases by exploring the mechanism of MATN3. In addition, SMSCExo, as a novel drug carrier, has great potential for treating and diagnosing other diseases. With further research, these findings will provide new directions for developing personalized and innovative treatment options.
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Affiliation(s)
- Long Long
- Department of Orthopedics, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, 215004, Jiangsu Province, China
- Department of Orthopedics, The First People's Hospital of Yancheng, Yancheng, 224001, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Guoyou Zou
- Department of Orthopedics, The First People's Hospital of Yancheng, Yancheng, 224001, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Yi Cheng
- Department of Orthopedics, The First People's Hospital of Yancheng, Yancheng, 224001, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Feng Li
- Department of Orthopedics, The First People's Hospital of Yancheng, Yancheng, 224001, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Hao Wu
- Department of Orthopedics, The First People's Hospital of Yancheng, Yancheng, 224001, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Yixin Shen
- Department of Orthopedics, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, 215004, Jiangsu Province, China
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Fan DD, Tan PY, Jin L, Qu Y, Yu QH. Bioinformatic identification and validation of autophagy-related genes in rheumatoid arthritis. Clin Rheumatol 2023; 42:741-750. [PMID: 36220923 DOI: 10.1007/s10067-022-06399-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2022] [Revised: 09/05/2022] [Accepted: 09/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic systemic autoimmune disorder characterized by progressive synovial inflammation and joint destruction, with a largely unknown etiology. Studies have suggested that autophagy and its expression may be involved in the pathogenesis of RA; however, autophagy-related genes in RA are still largely unidentified. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to identify and validate autophagy-related genes in RA. METHODS We identified differentially expressed autophagy-related genes between patients with RA and healthy individuals using gene expression profiles in the GSE55235 dataset and R software. Subsequently, correlation analysis, protein-protein interaction, gene ontology enrichment, and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway enrichment analyses were carried out using these differentially expressed autophagy-related genes. Finally, our results were validated by examining the expression of differentially expressed autophagy-related hub genes in clinical samples using qRT-PCR. RESULTS We identified 52 potential autophagy-related genes in RA based on bioinformatic analyses. Ten hub genes, CASP8, CTSB, TNFSF10, FADD, BAX, MYC, FOS, CDKN1A, GABARAPL1, and BNIP3, were validated to be differentially expressed and may serve as valuable prognostic markers and new potential therapeutic targets for RA via the regulation of autophagy. CONCLUSIONS Our results may help improve the understanding of RA pathogenesis. Autophagy-related genes in RA could be valuable biomarkers for diagnosis and prognosis and they might be exploited clinically as therapeutic targets in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dan-Dan Fan
- Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, ZhuJiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510285, People's Republic of China
| | - Peng-Yu Tan
- Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, ZhuJiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510285, People's Republic of China
| | - Li Jin
- Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, ZhuJiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510285, People's Republic of China
| | - Yuan Qu
- Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, ZhuJiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510285, People's Republic of China
| | - Qing-Hong Yu
- Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, ZhuJiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510285, People's Republic of China.
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孙 广, 许 霞, 万 磊, 南 淑, 王 玉, 赵 黎, 程 卉, 王 坤, 刘 莹, 方 妍, 孙 朗, 朱 俊. [ Cheng's Juanbi Decoction enhances autophagy in rheumatoid arthritis fibroblast-like syn-oviocytes by suppressing the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signal axis]. NAN FANG YI KE DA XUE XUE BAO = JOURNAL OF SOUTHERN MEDICAL UNIVERSITY 2022; 42:1726-1731. [PMID: 36504067 PMCID: PMC9742788 DOI: 10.12122/j.issn.1673-4254.2022.11.18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To study the regulatory effect of Cheng's Juanbi Decoction (JBT) on autophagy in rheumatoid arthritis fibroblast-like synoviocytes (RA-FLS) and role of PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling axis in the mechanism mediating this effect. METHODS CCK8 assay was used to determine the optimal concentration and treatment time of JBT for inhibiting the viability of RA- FLS. The effect of freeze-dried powder of JBT, RAPA, or both on morphology of the autophagosomes in RA-FLS was observed under transmission electron microscope, and the changes in the number of autophagosomes and autolysosomes were observed with autophagy double-labeled adenovirus experiment. RT-qPCR and Western blotting were used to detect the expression levels of the related indicators. RESULTS The results of CCK8 assay showed that treatment with 0.5 mg/mL JBT for 12 h produced the optimal effect for inhibiting RA-FLS viability. Observation with transmission electron microscope and the results of the autophagy double-labeled adenovirus experiment both showed the presence of a small number of autophagosomes in control RA-FLS group, and treatment with JBT significantly increased the number of autophagosomes and lowered the number of autophagolysosomes in the cells. Compared with the control cells and the cells treated with JBT or RAPA alone, the cells treated with both JBT and RAPA showed significantly decreased mRNA levels of PI3K, Akt and mTOR (P < 0.01) but without significant changes in their protein expressions (P > 0.05); the combined treatment significantly inhibited the protein expressions of p-PI3K, p-Akt, p-mTOR, and P62 (P < 0.05) and upregulated the protein expressions of Beclin-1 and LC3B (P < 0.05) in the cells. CONCLUSION JBT can inhibit the survival rate of RA-FLS and increase the level of autophagy possibly through a mechanism that down-regulates PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- 广瀚 孙
- 安徽中医药大学中医学院,安徽 合肥 230012School of Chinese Medicine, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei 230012, China
| | - 霞 许
- 安徽中医药大学中医学院,安徽 合肥 230012School of Chinese Medicine, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei 230012, China
| | - 磊 万
- 安徽中医药大学第一附属医院,安徽 合肥 230031First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei 230031, China
| | - 淑玲 南
- 安徽中医药大学中医学院,安徽 合肥 230012School of Chinese Medicine, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei 230012, China
| | - 玉凤 王
- 安徽中医药大学中医学院,安徽 合肥 230012School of Chinese Medicine, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei 230012, China
| | - 黎 赵
- 安徽中医药大学中医学院,安徽 合肥 230012School of Chinese Medicine, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei 230012, China
| | - 卉 程
- 安徽中医药大学科研技术中心,安徽 合肥 230012Research and Technology Center, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei 230012, China
| | - 坤 王
- 安徽中医药大学科研技术中心,安徽 合肥 230012Research and Technology Center, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei 230012, China
| | - 莹 刘
- 安徽中医药大学中医学院,安徽 合肥 230012School of Chinese Medicine, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei 230012, China
| | - 妍妍 方
- 安徽中医药大学第一附属医院,安徽 合肥 230031First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei 230031, China
| | - 朗 孙
- 安徽中医药大学中医学院,安徽 合肥 230012School of Chinese Medicine, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei 230012, China
| | - 俊 朱
- 安徽中医药大学中医学院,安徽 合肥 230012School of Chinese Medicine, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei 230012, China
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Wang Y, Zhou W, Chen Y, He D, Qin Z, Wang Z, Liu S, Zhou L, Su J, Zhang C. Identification of susceptibility modules and hub genes of osteoarthritis by WGCNA analysis. Front Genet 2022; 13:1036156. [DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2022.1036156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2022] [Accepted: 10/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a major cause of pain, disability, and social burden in the elderly throughout the world. Although many studies focused on the molecular mechanism of OA, its etiology remains unclear. Therefore, more biomarkers need to be explored to help early diagnosis, clinical outcome measurement, and new therapeutic target development. Our study aimed to retrieve the potential hub genes of osteoarthritis (OA) by weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) and assess their clinical utility for predicting OA. Here, we integrated WGCNA to identify novel OA susceptibility modules and hub genes. In this study, we first selected 477 and 834 DEGs in the GSE1919 and the GSE55235 databases, respectively, from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) website. Genes with p-value<0.05 and | log2FC | > 1 were included in our analysis. Then, WGCNA was conducted to build a gene co-expression network, which filtered out the most relevant modules and screened out 23 overlapping WGCNA-derived hub genes. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses elucidated that these hub genes were associated with cell adhesion molecules pathway, leukocyte activation, and inflammatory response. In addition, we conducted the protein–protein interaction (PPI) network in 23 hub genes, and the top four upregulated hub genes were sorted out (CD4, SELL, ITGB2, and CD52). Moreover, our nomogram model showed good performance in predicting the risk of OA (C-index = 0.76), and this model proved to be efficient in diagnosis by ROC curves (AUC = 0.789). After that, a single-sample gene set enrichment (ssGSEA) analysis was performed to discover immune cell infiltration in OA. Finally, human primary synoviocytes and immunohistochemistry study of synovial tissues confirmed that those candidate genes were significantly upregulated in the OA groups compared with normal groups. We successfully constructed a co-expression network based on WGCNA and found out that OA-associated susceptibility modules and hub genes, which may provide further insight into the development of pre-symptomatic diagnosis, may contribute to understanding the molecular mechanism study of OA risk genes.
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