Identification of keratoconus-associated Hub genes and their pathways based on bioinformatics analysis
ZHU Ye1, TAN Qiufan2, GONG Qianwen1, HU Xiaojian1, CHEN Shihao1
1.Department of Refractive Surgery Center, Eye Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325027, China; 2.Department of Ophthalmology and Otorhinolaryngology, Maternal and Child Health Hospital, Jinhua 322000, China
ZHU Ye,TAN Qiufan,GONG Qianwen, et al. Identification of keratoconus-associated Hub genes and their pathways based on bioinformatics analysis[J]. JOURNAL OF WEZHOU MEDICAL UNIVERSITY, 2021, 51(2): 111-117.
Abstract：Objective: To identify the keratoconus (KC)-associated potential target genes and to explore their potential mechanisms. Methods: The affymetrix microarray data of GSE77938 were downloaded from GEO database for further analysis. The GSE77938 dataset contained 50 samples, including 25 keratoconus patients and 25 normal controls. The gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway (KEGG) enrichment analyses were performed, and protein-protein interaction (PPI) network of the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) was constructed by Cytoscape software. Results: In total, 1 547 DEGs were identified in keratoconus, including 1 103 up-regulated genes and 444 downregulated genes. GO analysis results showed that upregulated DEGs were significantly enriched in 1 220 pathways in biological processes (BP), 102 pathways in melanosome in celelular component (CC) and 102 pathways in Molecular function (MF). The enriched functions of downregulated DEGs were 99 pathways in BP, 64 in CC and 47 in MF respectively. KEGG pathway analysis showed the up-regulated DEGs were enriched in 72 pathways, while the down-regulated DEGs were enriched in 8 pathways. The Hub genes, TNF, JUN, IFNG, PTPRC, ICAM1, FOS, IL6, CXCL8, LCK, CSF2, MMP9,
ITGAX, CD40LG and IL10 were identified from the PPI network, and ClueGO analysis revealed that these genes were involved 6 significant pathways in GO terms and 3 pathways in KEGG. Conclusion: The identified DEGs and hub genes have promoted our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying the development of
keratoconus, and might be used as molecular targets and diagnostic biomarkers for the treatment of keratoconus.
