CeRNA network analysis and functional enrichment of salt sensitivity of blood pressure by weighted-gene co-expression analysis

The Construction and Analysis of a ceRNA Network Related to Salt-Sensitivity Hypertensives

Background

Salt-sensitivity hypertensives (SSH) are an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease. However, the mechanism of SSH is not clear. This study is aimed at constructing a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network related to SSH.

Methods

Data sets were collected from the Gene Expression Omnibus database (GEO) to extract data on salt sensitivity RNA of patients with or without hypertensives in GSE135111. Firstly, we analyzed differentially expressed genes (DEGs, log2FC ≥ 0.5 and P < 0.05) and differentially expressed lncRNAs (DELs, log2FC ≥1 and P<0.05) between SSH and salt-sensitive normotension (SSN). Then, the gene ontology (GO), KEGG pathway enrichment analysis, and PPI network construction of DEGs were performed, and the hub genes in the PPI network by cytoHubba (12 methods) were screened out. Finally, a ceRNA network was constructed based on lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA pairs and hub genes.

Results

163 DEGs and 65 DELs were screened out. The GO and KEGG pathway analyses of DEGs were mainly enriched in metabolism (e.g., insulin secretion and cellular response to glucagon stimulus and peptidyl-tyrosine dephosphorylation,) and plasma membrane signaling (e.g., cell adhesion and chemical synaptic transmission and integral component of membrane). Additionally, a ceRNA network, including 1 mRNA (EGLN3), 2 miRNAs (hsa-miR-17-5p and hsa-miR-20b-5p), and 1 lncRNA (C1orf143) was successfully constructed.

Conclusions

In conclusion, the proposed ceRNA network may help elucidate the regulatory mechanism by which lncRNAs function as ceRNAs and contribute to the pathogenesis of SSH. Importantly, candidate lncRNAs, miRNAs, and mRNAs can be further evaluated as a potential therapeutic targets for SSH.

Construction of a ceRNA coregulatory network and screening of hub biomarkers for salt-sensitive hypertension

Salt-sensitive hypertension (SSH) is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease. The regulation of long non-coding RNAs, mRNAs and competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs) in the pathogenesis of SSH is uncertain. An RNA microarray was performed to discover SSH-associated differentially expressed lncRNAs (DElncRNAs) and mRNAs (DEmRNAs), and 296 DElncRNAs and 44 DEmRNAs were identified, and 247 DElncRNAs and 44 DEmRNAs among these RNAs were included in the coexpression network. The coregulatory network included 23 ceRNA loops, and six hub RNAs (lnc-ILK-8:1, lnc-OTX1-7:1, lnc-RCAN1-6:1, GIMAP8, SUV420H1 and PIGV) were identified for further population validation. The ceRNA correlations among lnc-OTX1-7:1, hsa-miR-361-5p and GIMAP8 were confirmed in SSH and SRH patients. A larger-sample validation confirmed that GIMAP8, SUV420H1 and PIGV were differentially expressed between the SSH and SRH groups. In addition, SUV420H1 was included in the SSH screening model, and the area under the curve of the model was 0.720 (95% CI: 0.624-0.816). Our study explored the transcriptome profiles of SSH and constructed a ceRNA network to help elucidate the mechanism of SSH. In addition, SUV420H1 was identified as a hub element that participates in SSH transcriptional regulation and as a potential biomarker for the early diagnosis of SSH.

Diagnostic model of combined ceRNA and DNA methylation related genes in esophageal carcinoma

Esophageal cancer is a common malignant tumor in the world, and the aim of this study was to screen key genes related to the development of esophageal cancer using a variety of bioinformatics analysis tools and analyze their biological functions. The data of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) were selected as the research object, processed and analyzed to screen differentially expressed microRNAs (miRNAs) and differential methylation genes. The competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs) interaction network of differentially expressed genes was constructed by bioinformatics tools DAVID, String, and Cytoscape. Biofunctional enrichment analysis was performed using Gene Ontology (GO) and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG). The expression of the screened genes and the survival of the patients were verified. By analyzing GSE59973 and GSE114110, we found three down-regulated and nine up-regulated miRNAs. The gene expression matrix of GSE120356 was calculated by Pearson correlation coefficient, and the 11696 pairs of ceRNA relation were determined. In the ceRNA network, 643 lncRNAs and 147 mRNAs showed methylation difference. Functional enrichment analysis showed that these differentially expressed genes were mainly concentrated in the FoxO signaling pathway and were involved in the corresponding cascade of calcineurin. By analyzing the clinical data in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database, it was found that four lncRNAs had an important impact on the survival and prognosis of esophageal carcinoma patients. QRT-PCR was also conducted to identify the expression of the key lncRNAs (RNF217-AS1, HCP5, ZFPM2-AS1 and HCG22) in ESCC samples. The selected key genes can provide theoretical guidance for further research on the molecular mechanism of esophageal carcinoma and the screening of molecular markers.