Comprehensive Analyses of miRNA-mRNA Network and Potential Drugs in Idiopathic Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension

Introduction. Idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH) is a severe cardiopulmonary disease with a relatively low survival rate. Moreover, the pathogenesis of IPAH has not been fully recognized. Thus, comprehensive analyses of miRNA-mRNA network and potential drugs in IPAH are urgent requirements. Methods. Microarray datasets of mRNA and microRNA (miRNA) in IPAH were searched and downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO). Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and differentially expressed miRNAs (DEMIs) were identified. Then, the DEMI-DEG network was conducted with associated comprehensive analyses including Gene Ontology (GO) analysis, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis, and protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis, while potential drugs targeting hub genes were investigated using L1000 platform. Results. 30 DEGs and 6 DEMIs were identified in the lung tissue of IPAH. GO and KEGG pathway analyses revealed that these DEGs were mostly enriched in antimicrobial humoral response and African trypanosomiasis, respectively. The DEMI-DEG network was conducted subsequently with 4 DEMIs (hsa-miR-34b-5p, hsa-miR-26b-5p, hsa-miR-205-5p, and hsa-miR-199a-3p) and 16 DEGs, among which 5 DEGs (AQP9, SPP1, END1, VCAM1, and SAA1) were included in the top 10 hub genes of the PPI network. Nimodipine was identified with the highest CMap connectivity score in L1000 platform. Conclusion. Our study conducted a miRNA-mRNA network and identified 4 miRNAs as well as 5 mRNAs which may play important roles in the pathogenesis of IPAH. Moreover, we provided a new insight for future therapies by predicting potential drugs targeting hub genes.

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Essential genes and miRNA-mRNA network contributing to the pathogenesis of idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension

10.21203/rs.3.rs-89957/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Shengyu Hao ◽

Pan Jiang ◽

Liang Xie ◽

Guiling Xiang ◽

Zilong Liu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension ◽

Arterial Hypertension ◽

Molecular Mechanisms ◽

Functional Module ◽

Idiopathic Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension ◽

Leukocyte Migration ◽

Differentially Expressed ◽

Functional Modules ◽

Hub Genes ◽

Pulmonary Arterial

Abstract Background: Idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH) is a life-threatening disease. Owing to its high fatality rate and narrow therapeutic options, identification of the pathogenic mechanisms of IPAH is becoming increasingly important.Methods: In our research, we utilized the Robust Rank Aggregating (RRA) method to integrate four eligible PAH microarray datasets and identified the significant differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between IPAH and normal samples. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways were performed to analyze their functions. The interaction network of protein-protein internet (PPI) was constructed to explore the correlation between these DEGs. The functional modules and hub genes were further identified by the weighted gene coexpression network analysis (WGCNA). Moreover, a miRNA microarray dataset was involved and analyzed to filter differentially expressed miRNA (DE-miRNAs). Potential target genes of screened DE-miRNAs were predicted and merged with DEGs to explore a miRNA-mRNA network in IPAH. Some hub genes were selected and validated by RT-PCR in lung tissues from PAH animal model.Results: A total of 260 DEGs, consisting of 183 upregulated and 77 down-regulated significant DEGs were identified, and some of those genes were novel. Their molecular roles in the etiology of IPAH remained vague. The most crucial functional module involved in IPAH mainly enriched in biological processes, including leukocyte migration, cell chemotaxis, and myeloid leukocyte migration. Construction and analysis of the PPI network showed that CXCL10, CXCL9, CCR1, CX3CR1, CX3CL1, CXCR2, CXCR1, PF4, CCL4L1, and ADORA3 were recognized as top10 hub genes with high connectivity degrees. WGCNA further identified five main functional modules involved in the pathogenesis of IPAH. 12 upregulated DE-miRNAs and 9 downregulated DE-miRNAs were identified. Among them, four downregulated DEGs, and eight upregulated DEGs were supposed to be negatively regulated by three upregulated DE-miRNAs, and three downregulated DE-miRNAs, respectively.Conclusions: This study identifies some key and functional coexpression modules involved in IPAH, as well as a potential IPAH-related miRNA-mRNA regulated network. It provides deepening insights into the molecular mechanisms and provides vital clues in seeking novel therapeutic targets for IPAH.

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Identification of Hub Genes and MicroRNAs Associated With Idiopathic Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension by Integrated Bioinformatics Analyses

Frontiers in Genetics ◽

10.3389/fgene.2021.636934 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Xue Qiu ◽

Jinyan Lin ◽

Bixiao Liang ◽

Yanbing Chen ◽

Guoqun Liu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gene Expression ◽

Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension ◽

Arterial Hypertension ◽

Enrichment Analysis ◽

Functional Enrichment Analysis ◽

Idiopathic Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension ◽

Functional Enrichment ◽

Hub Genes ◽

Ppi Networks ◽

Pulmonary Arterial

ObjectiveThe aim of this study is the identification of hub genes associated with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH).Materials and MethodsGSE15197 gene expression data was downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified by screening IPAH patients and controls. The 5,000 genes with the greatest variances were analyzed using a weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA). Modules with the strongest correlation with IPAH were chosen, followed by a functional enrichment analysis. Protein–protein interaction (PPI) networks were constructed to identify hub gene candidates using calculated degrees. Real hub genes were found from the overlap of DEGs and candidate hub genes. microRNAs (miRNAs) targeting real hub genes were found by screening miRNet 2.0. The most important IPAH miRNAs were identified.ResultsThere were 4,395 DEGs identified. WGCNA indicated that green and brown modules associated most strongly with IPAH. Functional enrichment analysis showed that green and brown module genes were mainly involved in protein digestion and absorption and proteoglycans in cancer, respectively. The top ten candidate hub genes in green and brown modules were identified, respectively. After overlapping with DEGs, 11 real hub genes were identified: EP300, MMP2, CDH2, CDK2, GNG10, ALB, SMC2, DHX15, CUL3, BTBD1, and LTN1. These genes were expressed with significant differences in IPAH versus controls, indicating a high diagnostic ability. The miRNA–gene network showed that hsa-mir-1-3p could associate with IPAH.ConclusionEP300, MMP2, CDH2, CDK2, GNG10, ALB, SMC2, DHX15, CUL3, BTBD1, and LTN1 may play essential roles in IPAH. Predicted miRNA hsa-mir-1-3p could regulate gene expression in IPAH. Such hub genes may contribute to the pathology and progression in IPAH, providing potential diagnostic and therapeutic opportunities for IPAH patients.

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Elucidation of the mechanisms and molecular targets of Qishen Yiqi formula for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension using a bioinformatics/network topology-based strategy

Combinatorial Chemistry & High Throughput Screening ◽

10.2174/1386207323666201019145354 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 23 ◽

Author(s):

Peiliang Wu ◽

Xiaona Xie ◽

Mayun Chen ◽

Junwei Sun ◽

Luqiong Cai ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension ◽

Arterial Hypertension ◽

Network Topology ◽

Molecular Mechanisms ◽

Molecular Targets ◽

Enrichment Analysis ◽

Network Pharmacology ◽

Pathway Enrichment Analysis ◽

Bioactive Ingredients ◽

Pulmonary Arterial

Background and Objective: Qishen Yiqi formula (QSYQ) is used to treat cardiovascular disease in the clinical practice of traditional Chinese medicine. However, few studies have explored whether QSYQ affects pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), and the mechanisms of action and molecular targets of QSYQ for the treatment of PAH are unclear. A bioinformatics/network topology-based strategy was used to identify the bioactive ingredients, putative targets, and molecular mechanisms of QSYQ in PAH. Methods: A network pharmacology-based strategy was employed by integrating active component gathering, target prediction, PAH gene collection, network topology, and gene enrichment analysis to systematically explore the multicomponent synergistic mechanisms. Results: In total, 107 bioactive ingredients of QSYQ and 228 ingredient targets were identified. Moreover, 234 PAH-related differentially expressed genes with a |fold change| >2 and an adjusted P value < 0.005 were identified between the PAH patient and control groups, and 266 therapeutic targets were identified. The pathway enrichment analysis indicated that 85 pathways, including the PI3K-Akt, MAPK, and HIF-1 signaling pathways, were significantly enriched. TP53 was the core target gene, and 7 other top genes (MAPK1, RELA, NFKB1, CDKN1A, AKT1, MYC, and MDM2) were the key genes in the gene-pathway network based on the effects of QSYQ on PAH. Conclusion: An integrative investigation based on network pharmacology may elucidate the multicomponent synergistic mechanisms of QSYQ in PAH and lay a foundation for further animal experiments, human clinical trials and rational clinical applications of QSYQ.

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Identification of Potential Autophagy-Related Genes in Steroid-Induced Osteonecrosis of the Femoral Head

10.21203/rs.3.rs-1066425/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

XueZhen LIANG ◽

Di LUO ◽

Yan-Rong CHEN ◽

Jia-Cheng LI ◽

Bo-Zhao YAN ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Femoral Head ◽

Correlation Analysis ◽

Bioinformatics Analysis ◽

Kegg Pathway ◽

Enrichment Analysis ◽

Differentially Expressed ◽

Pathway Enrichment Analysis ◽

Hub Genes ◽

R Software ◽

Pathway Enrichment

Abstract Purpose: Steroid-induced osteonecrosis of the femoral head (SONFH) was a refractory orthopedic hip joint disease in the young and middle-aged people. Previous experimental studies had shown that autophagy might be involved in the pathological process of SONFH, but the pathogenesis of autophagy in SONFH remained unclear. We aim to identify and validate the key potential autophagy-related genes of SONFH to further illustrate the mechanism of autophagy in SONFH through bioinformatics analysis. Methods: The mRNA expression profile dataset GSE123568 was download from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database, including 10 non-SONFH (following steroid administration) samples and 30 SONFH samples. The autophagy-related genes were obtained from the Human Autophagy Database (HADb). The autophagy-related genes of SONFH were screened by intersecting GSE123568 dataset with autophagy genes. The differentially expressed autophagy-related genes of SONFH were identified by R software. Besides, the Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis was conducted for the differentially expressed autophagy-related genes of SONFH by R software. Then, the correlation analysis between the expression levels of differentially expressed autophagy-related genes of SONFH was confirmed by R software. Moreover, the protein–protein interaction (PPI) network were analyzed by the Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes (STRING), and the significant gene cluster modules were identified by the MCODE Cytoscape plugin, and hub genes of differentially expressed autophagy-related genes of SONFH were screened by the CytoHubba Cytoscape plugin. Finally, the expression levels of hub genes of differentially expressed autophagy-related genes of SONFH was validated in hip articular cartilage specimens from necrosis femur head (NFH) by GSE74089 dataset. Results: A total of 34 differentially expressed autophagy-related genes were identified between the peripheral blood of SONFH samples and non-SONFH Samples based on the defined criteria, including 25 up-regulated genes and 9 down-regulated genes. The GO and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis revealed that these 34 differentially expressed autophagy-related genes of SONFH were concentrated in death domain receptors, FOXO signaling pathway and apoptosis. The correlation analysis revealed a significant correlation among the 34 differentially expressed autophagy-related genes of SONFH. The PPI results demonstrated that the 34 differentially expressed autophagy-related genes interacted with each other. There were 10 hub genes identified by the MCC algorithms of Cytohubba. The results of GSE74089 dataset showed TNFSF10, PTEN and CFLAR were significantly upregulated while BCL2L1 were significantly downregulated in the hip cartilage specimens, which were consistent with the GSE123568 dataset. Conclusions: There were 34 potential autophagy-related genes of SONFH identified using bioinformatics analysis. TNFSF10, PTEN, CFLAR and BCL2L1 might serve as potential drug targets and biomarkers by regulating autophagy. These results would expand new insights into the autophagy-related understanding of SONFH and might be useful in the diagnosis and prognosis of SONFH.

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Screening of Hub Genes Associated with Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension by Integrated Bioinformatic Analysis

BioMed Research International ◽

10.1155/2021/6626094 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2021 ◽

pp. 1-16

Author(s):

Yu Zeng ◽

Nanhong Li ◽

Zhenzhen Zheng ◽

Riken Chen ◽

Min Peng ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension ◽

Arterial Hypertension ◽

Drug Targets ◽

Bioinformatic Analysis ◽

Functional Enrichment ◽

Receptor Interaction ◽

Ppi Network ◽

Hub Genes ◽

Network Analyses ◽

Pulmonary Arterial

Background. Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a disease or pathophysiological syndrome which has a low survival rate with abnormally elevated pulmonary artery pressure caused by known or unknown reasons. In addition, the pathogenesis of PAH is not fully understood. Therefore, it has become an urgent matter to search for clinical molecular markers of PAH, study the pathogenesis of PAH, and contribute to the development of new science-based PAH diagnosis and targeted treatment methods. Methods. In this study, the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database was used to downloaded a microarray dataset about PAH, and the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between PAH and normal control were screened out. Moreover, we performed the functional enrichment analyses and protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analyses of the DEGs. In addition, the prediction of miRNA and transcriptional factor (TF) of hub genes and construction miRNA-TF-hub gene network were performed. Besides, the ROC curve was used to evaluate the diagnostic value of hub genes. Finally, the potential drug targets for the 5 identified hub genes were screened out. Results. 69 DEGs were identified between PAH samples and normal samples. GO and KEGG pathway analyses revealed that these DEGs were mostly enriched in the inflammatory response and cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, respectively. The miRNA-hub genes network was conducted subsequently with 131 miRNAs, 7 TFs, and 5 hub genes (CCL5, CXCL12, VCAM1, CXCR1, and SPP1) which screened out via constructing the PPI network. 17 drugs interacted with 5 hub genes were identified. Conclusions. Through bioinformatic analysis of microarray data sets, 5 hub genes (CCL5, CXCL12, VCAM1, CXCR1, and SPP1) were identified from DEGs between control samples and PAH samples. Studies showed that the five hub genes might play an important role in the development of PAH. These 5 hub genes might be potential biomarkers for diagnosis or targets for the treatment of PAH. In addition, our work also indicated that paying more attention on studies based on these 5 hub genes might help to understand the molecular mechanism of the development of PAH.

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Comprehensive bioinformatic analysis identified m6A methylation as an important regulator in mediating immune response during idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension

10.21203/rs.3.rs-64337/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Na Liu ◽

Yunhong Zeng ◽

Ting Huang ◽

Wanyun Zuo ◽

Yunbin Xiao ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Immune Response ◽

Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension ◽

Arterial Hypertension ◽

Immune Cell ◽

Enrichment Analysis ◽

Bioinformatic Analysis ◽

Pathway Enrichment Analysis ◽

Protein Protein Interaction ◽

M1 Macrophage ◽

Pulmonary Arterial

Abstract BackgroundDespite its functional importance in various fundamental bioprocesses, studies of N6-methyladenosine (m6A) in the pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) are lacking. Here we studied the potential relevance of m6A RNA methylation and immune response in PAH development.MethodsWe constructed a monocrotaline (MCT) induced PAH rat model and performed Methylated RNA immunoprecipitation sequencing (MeRIP-Seq). The 18 idiopathic PAH (IPAH) microarray data obtained from the GEO database was used to construct co-expression networks by weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA). CIBERSORT was used to investigate the effect of m6A methylation on immune cell infiltration during PAH.ResultsA differential pattern of m6A abundance, mainly up-methylation, was observed in the lung tissues of rats with MCT induced PAH. By WGCNA, multi-list pathway enrichment analysis and protein-protein interaction (PPI) analysis, we found that m6A methylation modification may play important roles in mediating immune response during PAH. CYBERSORT algorithm indicated that the m6A methylation can drive monocyte to form M1 macrophage, which may be mediated by CCR5 and CXCL9.ConclusionCollectively, m6A landscape is altered in PAH. We summarize newly discovered m6A in controlling immune response, which caused activation of M1 macrophage during PAH. It’s provided a novel insight into the therapeutic mechanisms of PAH.

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