Identification of MicroRNA-mRNA Regulatory Networks in Periodontitis by Bioinformatics Analysis
Abstract Background: Periodontitis is a complex infectious disease with various causes and contributing factors. In recent years, microRNAs (miRNAs) have been commonly accepted as having key regulatory functions in periodontal disease. The aim of this study was to identify miRNAs and hub genes involved in periodontal disease pathogenesis using a miRNA-mRNA interaction network.Methods: The GSE54710 miRNA microarray dataset and the gene expression microarray dataset GSE16134 were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. The differentially expressed miRNAs (DEMis) and mRNAs (DEMs) were screened using P <0.05 and |log FC| ≥1. Potential upstream transcription factors and downstream target genes of candidate DEMis were predicted using the FunRich and miRNet programs, respectively. Subsequently, DEMs were uploaded to the STRING database, a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was established, and the cytoHubba plugin was used to screen out key hub mRNAs. The key genes in the miRNA-mRNA regulatory network were extracted by intersecting the target genes of candidate DEMis and DEMs. Cytoscape software was used to visualise the interaction between miRNAs and mRNAs and to predict the hub genes. Gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses were used to analyse the key genes in the regulatory network.Results: Ten DEMis and 161 DEMs were filtered out, from which we constructed a miRNA-mRNA network consisting of six miRNAs and 32 mRNAs. KEGG pathway analysis showed that mRNAs in the regulatory network were mainly involved in the IL-17 signalling pathway. Hsa-miR-203/CXCL8, hsa-miR-203/BTG2, and hsa-miR-203/DNAJB9 were identified as four potential regulatory pathways for periodontitis. Conclusion: In this study, a potential miRNA–mRNA regulatory network was first constructed and four regulatory pathways were identified for periodontitis to help clarify the aetiology of the disease and provide potential therapeutic targets.