scholarly journals Molecular mechanisms of fat deposition: <i>IL-6</i> is a hub gene in fat lipolysis, comparing thin-tailed with fat-tailed sheep breeds

2021 ◽  
Vol 64 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-68
Author(s):  
Sana Farhadi ◽  
Jalil Shodja Ghias ◽  
Karim Hasanpur ◽  
Seyed Abolghasem Mohammadi ◽  
Esmaeil Ebrahimie

Abstract. Tail fat content affects meat quality and varies significantly among different breeds of sheep. Ghezel (fat-tailed) and Zel (thin-tailed) are two important Iranian local sheep breeds with different patterns of fat storage. The current study presents the transcriptome characterization of tail fat using RNA sequencing in order to get a better comprehension of the molecular mechanism of lipid storage in the two mentioned sheep breeds. Seven (Zel = 4 and Ghezel = 3) 7-month-old male lambs were used for this experiment. The results of sequencing were analyzed with bioinformatics methods, including differentially expressed genes (DEGs) identification, functional enrichment analysis, structural classification of proteins, protein–protein interaction (PPI) and network and module analyses. Some of the DEGs, such as LIPG, SAA1, SOCS3, HIF-1α, and especially IL-6, had a close association with lipid metabolism. Furthermore, functional enrichment analysis revealed pathways associated with fat deposition, including “fatty acid metabolism”, “fatty acid biosynthesis” and “HIF-1 signaling pathway”. The structural classification of proteins showed that major down-regulated DEGs in the Zel (thin-tailed) breed were classified under transporter class and that most of them belonged to the solute carrier transporter (SLC) families. In addition, DEGs under the transcription factor class with an important role in lipolysis were up-regulated in the Zel (thin-tailed) breed. Also, network analysis revealed that IL-6 and JUNB were hub genes for up-regulated PPI networks, and HMGCS1, VPS35 and VPS26A were hub genes for down-regulated PPI networks. Among the up-regulated DEGs, the IL-6 gene seems to play an important role in lipolysis of tail fat in thin-tailed sheep breeds via various pathways such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF) signaling and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways. Due to the probable role of the IL-6 gene in fat lipolysis and also due to the strong interaction of IL-6 with the other up-regulated DEGs, it seems that IL-6 accelerates the degradation of lipids in tail fat cells.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rongqin Ke ◽  
Jinbao Yin

Abstract Background: Further elucidation of the molecular mechanisms of the occurrence, development and prognosis of breast cancer remains an urgent need. Identifying hub genes involved in these pathogenesis and progression can potentially help to unveil these mechanisms and provide novel therapeutic targets for breast cancer. Methods: In this study, we systematically integrated robust rank aggregation (RRA), functional enrichment analysis, protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks construction and analysis, weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA), DNA methylation analyses and genomic mutation analyses, GSEA and GSVA to identify potential hub genes that are highly associated with breast cancer. Results: We identified a total of 512 robust DEGs that were significantly associated with breast cancer based on RRA analysis and functional enrichment analysis. CENPL, ISG20L2, MRPL3 and LSM4 were identified as four potential hub genes for breast cancer through the WGCNA analysis and literate search. These four hub genes were upregulated in breast cancer tissues and associated with tumor progression. ROC and Kaplan-Meier indicated these four hub genes all showed good diagnostic performance and prognostic values for breast cancer. Methylation analyses and genomic mutation analyses suggested that the abnormal up-regulation of these genes are likelyresulted from hypomethylation and gene mutations. Moreover, GSEA and GSVA for single potential hub genes revealed they were all tightly related to the proliferation of tumor cells. Conclusion: We identify four genes (CENPL, ISG20L2, MRPL3, and LSM4) that are likely playing key roles in the molecular mechanism of occurrence and development of breast cancer. They may become potential therapeutic targets for breast cancer patients with further studies. Keywords: breast cancer, RRA, WGCNA, hub genes


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xue Qiu ◽  
Jinyan Lin ◽  
Bixiao Liang ◽  
Yanbing Chen ◽  
Guoqun Liu ◽  
...  

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.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jingwei Zhang ◽  
Wenjun Liu ◽  
Liang Ding ◽  
Dongdong Cheng ◽  
Haijun Xiao

Abstract Objective: This study aimed to explore common oncogenic genes and pathways both in osteosarcoma and Ewing’s sarcoma. Methods: Microarray data were obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were respectively identified using the limma package, followed by intersection of common DEGs. Then, protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks were constructed and hub genes were identified. Furthermore, functional enrichment analysis was analyzed. The expression of common oncogenic genes was validated in 38 osteosarcoma and 17 Ewing’s sarcoma tissues by RT-qPCR and western blot. Results: 201 genes were differentially expressed. There were 121 nodes and 232 edges in the PPI network. 12 genes were considered as hub genes. Functional enrichment analysis results showed that hub genes FN1, COL1A1 and COL1A2 were all involved in extracellular matrix, protease binding and ECM-receptor interaction, which could be involved in the development of osteosarcoma and Ewing’s sarcoma. Among common oncogenic genes, FN1, COL1A1 and COL1A2 were lowly expressed both in osteosarcoma and Ewing’ s sarcoma tissues at mRNA and protein levels. Conclusion: Our findings revealed that common oncogenic genes such as FN1, COL1A1 and COL1A2 and pathways were both in osteosarcoma and Ewing’ s sarcoma.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yiyuan Zhang ◽  
Rongguo Yu ◽  
Jiayu Zhang ◽  
Eryou Feng ◽  
Haiyang Wang ◽  
...  

Abstract BackgroundOsteoarthritis (OA) is a common chronic disease worldwide. Subchondral bone is an important pathological change in OA and responds more rapidly to adverse loading and events compared to cartilage. However, the pathogenic genes and pathways of subchondral bone are largely unclear.ObjectiveThis study aimed to identify signature differences in genes involved in knee lateral tibial (LT) and medial tibial (MT) plateaus of subchondral bone tissue while exploring their potential molecular mechanisms via bioinformatics analysis.MethodsFirst, the gene expression data of GSE51588 was downloaded from the GEO database. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between knee LT and MT were identified, and functional enrichment analyses were performed. Then, a protein-protein interactive network was constructed in order to acquire the hub genes, and modules analysis was conducted using STRING and Cytoscape for further analysis. The enriched hub genes were queried in DGIdb database to find suitable drug candidates in OA.ResultsA total of 202 DEGs (112 upregulated genes and 84 downregulated genes) were determined. In the PPI network, ten hub genes were identified. Five significant modules were identified using the MCODE plugin unit. Functional enrichment analysis revealed the most important signaling pathways. Six of the ten hub genes were targetable by a total of 35 drugs, suggesting their possible therapeutic use for OA .ConclusionsThe identified hub genes and functional enrichment pathways were implicated in the development and progression of subchondral bone in OA, thus improving our understanding of OA and offering molecular targets for future therapeutic modalities.


PeerJ ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. e11321
Author(s):  
Di Zhang ◽  
Pengguang Yan ◽  
Taotao Han ◽  
Xiaoyun Cheng ◽  
Jingnan Li

Background Ulcerative colitis-associated colorectal cancer (UC-CRC) is a life-threatening complication of ulcerative colitis (UC). The mechanisms underlying UC-CRC remain to be elucidated. The purpose of this study was to explore the key genes and biological processes contributing to colitis-associated dysplasia (CAD) or carcinogenesis in UC via database mining, thus offering opportunities for early prediction and intervention of UC-CRC. Methods Microarray datasets (GSE47908 and GSE87466) were downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO). Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between groups of GSE47908 were identified using the “limma” R package. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) based on DEGs between the CAD and control groups was conducted subsequently. Functional enrichment analysis was performed, and hub genes of selected modules were identified using the “clusterProfiler” R package. Single-gene gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was conducted to predict significant biological processes and pathways associated with the specified gene. Results Six functional modules were identified based on 4929 DEGs. Green and blue modules were selected because of their consistent correlation with UC and CAD, and the highest correlation coefficient with the progress of UC-associated carcinogenesis. Functional enrichment analysis revealed that genes of these two modules were significantly enriched in biological processes, including mitochondrial dysfunction, cell-cell junction, and immune responses. However, GSEA based on differential expression analysis between sporadic colorectal cancer (CRC) and normal controls from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) indicated that mitochondrial dysfunction may not be the major carcinogenic mechanism underlying sporadic CRC. Thirteen hub genes (SLC25A3, ACO2, AIFM1, ATP5A1, DLD, TFE3, UQCRC1, ADIPOR2, SLC35D1, TOR1AIP1, PRR5L, ATOX1, and DTX3) were identified. Their expression trends were validated in UC patients of GSE87466, and their potential carcinogenic effects in UC were supported by their known functions and other relevant studies reported in the literature. Single-gene GSEA indicated that biological processes and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways related to angiogenesis and immune response were positively correlated with the upregulation of TFE3, whereas those related to mitochondrial function and energy metabolism were negatively correlated with the upregulation of TFE3. Conclusions Using WGCNA, this study found two gene modules that were significantly correlated with CAD, of which 13 hub genes were identified as the potential key genes. The critical biological processes in which the genes of these two modules were significantly enriched include mitochondrial dysfunction, cell-cell junction, and immune responses. TFE3, a transcription factor related to mitochondrial function and cancers, may play a central role in UC-associated carcinogenesis.


BMC Cancer ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fuqiang Zu ◽  
Peng Liu ◽  
Huaitao Wang ◽  
Ting Zhu ◽  
Jian Sun ◽  
...  

Abstract Background It is well acknowledged that cancer-related pathways play pivotal roles in the progression of pancreatic cancer (PC). Employing Integrated analysis, we aim to identify the pathway-related ceRNA network associated with PC progression. Methods We divided eight GEO datasets into three groups according to their platform, and combined TCGA and GTEx databases as a group. Additionally, we screened out the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and performed functional enrichment analysis in each group, and recognized the top hub genes in the most enriched pathway. Furthermore, the upstream of miRNAs and lncRNAs were predicted and validated according to their expression and prognostic roles. Finally, the co-expression analysis was applied to identify a pathway-related ceRNA network in the progression of PC. Results A total of 51 significant pathways that common enriched in all groups were spotted. Enrichment analysis indicated that pathway in cancer was greatly linked with tumor formation and progression. Next, the top 20 hug genes in this pathway were recognized, and stepwise prediction and validation from mRNA to lncRNA, including 11 hub genes, 4 key miRNAs, and 2 key lncRNAs, were applied to identify a meaningful ceRNA network according to ceRNA rules. Ultimately, we identified the PVT1/miR-20b/CCND1 axis as a promising pathway-related ceRNA axis in the progression of PC. Conclusion Overall, we elucidate the pathway-related ceRNA regulatory network of PVT1/miR-20b/CCND1 in the progression of PC, which can be considered as therapeutic targets and encouraging prognostic biomarkers for PC.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-19
Author(s):  
Qingqing Ye ◽  
Hongbo Chen ◽  
Hongzhen Ma ◽  
Xiaojun Xiang ◽  
Shouci Hu ◽  
...  

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is responsible for significant mortality among hospitalized patients that is especially troubling aged people. An effective self-made Chinese medicine formula, Xiaoyu Xiezhuo Drink (XXD), displayed therapeutic effects on AKI. However, the compositions and underlying mechanisms of XXD remain to be elucidated. In this study, we used the ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography method coupled with hybrid triple quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS) to investigate the chemical components in XXD. Then, the absorbable components of XXD were identified based on the five principles and inputted into the SwissTargetPrediction and STITCH databases to identify the drug targets. AKI-related targets were collected from the GenCLiP 3, GeneCards, and DisGeNET databases. The crossover genes of XXD and AKI were identified for functional enrichment analysis. The protein-protein interaction (PPI) network of crossover genes was constructed, followed by the identification of hub genes. Subsequently, the effects and potential mechanisms of XXD on AKI predicted by the network pharmacology and bioinformatics analyses were experimentally validated in ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury-induced AKI aged mouse models. A total of 122 components in XXD were obtained; among them, 58 components were found that could be absorbed in the blood. There were 800 potential drug targets predicted from the 58 absorbable components in AKI which shared 36 crossover genes with AKI-related targets. The results of functional enrichment analysis indicated that crossover genes mostly associated with the response to oxidative stress and the HIF1 signaling pathway. In the PPI network analysis, 12 hub genes were identified, including ALB, IL-6, TNF, TP53, VEGFA, PTGS2, TLR4, NOS3, EGFR, PPARG, HIF1A, and HMOX1. In AKI aged mice, XXD prominently alleviated I/R injury-induced renal dysfunction, abnormal renal pathological changes, and cellular senescence, inflammation, and oxidative damage with a reduction in the expression level of the inflammatory mediator, α-SMA, collagen-1, F4/80, TP53, VEGFA, PTGS2, TLR4, NOS3, EGFR, PPARG, HIF1A, ICAM-1, TGF-β1, Smad3, and p-Smad3 and an increase of nephridial tissue p-H3, Ki67, HMOX1, MMP-9, and Smad7 levels. In summary, our findings suggest that XXD has renoprotective effects against AKI in aged mice via inhibiting the TGF-β1/Smad3 and HIF1 signaling pathways.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Wei Xu ◽  
Jian Xu ◽  
Zhiqiang Wang ◽  
Yuequan Jiang

Objective. Esophageal cancer (ESCA) is one of the most aggressive malignancies globally with an undesirable five-year survival rate. Here, this study was conducted for determining specific functional genes linked with ESCA initiation and progression. Methods. Gene expression profiling of ESCA was curated from TCGA (containing 160 ESCA and 11 nontumor specimens) and GSE38129 (30 paired ESCA and nontumor tissues) datasets. Differential expression analysis was conducted between ESCA and nontumor tissues with adjusted p value <0.05 and |log2fold-change|>1. Weighted gene coexpression network analysis (WGCNA) was conducted for determining the ESCA-specific coexpression modules and genes. Thereafter, ESCA-specific differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were intersected. Functional enrichment analysis was then presented with clusterProfiler package. Protein-protein interaction was conducted, and hub genes were determined. Association of hub genes with pathological staging was evaluated, and survival analysis was presented among ESCA patients. Results. This study determined 91 ESCA-specific DEGs following intersection of DEGs and ESCA-specific genes in TCGA and GSE38129 datasets. They were remarkably linked to cell cycle progression and carcinogenic pathways like the p53 signaling pathway, cellular senescence, and apoptosis. Ten ESCA-specific hub genes were determined, containing ASPM, BUB1B, CCNA2, CDC20, CDK1, DLGAP5, KIF11, KIF20 A, TOP2A, and TPX2. They were prominently associated with pathological staging. Among them, KIF11 upregulation was in relation to undesirable prognosis of ESCA patients. Conclusion. Collectively, we determined ESCA-specific coexpression modules and hub genes, which offered the foundation for future research concerning the mechanistic basis of ESCA.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yunze Liu ◽  
Xiaojie Sun ◽  
Aijun Qu

As an evolutionarily conserved mechanism, developmental neuronal remodeling is needed for the proper wiring of the nervous system and is critical for understanding the neurodevelopment mechanisms. Previous studies have shown that during metamorphosis lots of Drosophila melanogaster mushroom body neurons experience stereotypic remodeling. However, the related regulators and downstream executors of pathways are yet unclear, especially studies of transcriptional gene co-expression analysis of nervous systems remain insufficient. In this study, we develop a weighted gene co-expression network (WGCNA) to classify gene modules associated with neuronal remodeling. Moreover, functional and pathway enrichment analysis with protein-protein network construction is applied to detect high informative hub genes in the targeted gene module. Thus, we select a total of five hub genes that play critical roles in neuronal remodeling and identify them with functional enrichment analysis and protein-protein interaction network. Overall, this study provides insight into the underlying molecular mechanism of developmental neuronal remodeling in Drosophila melanogaster.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Varun Alur ◽  
Varshita Raju ◽  
Basavaraj Mallikarjunayya Vastrad ◽  
Anandkumar Revanasiddappa Tengli ◽  
Chanabasayya Vastrad ◽  
...  

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is the metabolic disorder appears during pregnancy. The current investigation aimed to identify central differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in GDM. The transcription profiling by array data (E-MTAB-6418) was obtained from the ArrayExpress database. The DEGs between GDM samples and non GDM samples were analyzed. Functional enrichment analysis were performed using ToppGene. Then we constructed the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network of DEGs by the Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes database (STRING) and module analysis was performed. Subsequently, we constructed the miRNA-hub gene network and TF-hub gene regulatory network. The validation of hub genes was performed through receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC). Finally, the candidate small molecules as potential drugs to treat GDM were predicted by using molecular docking. Through transcription profiling by array data, a total of 869 DEGs were detected including 439 up regulated and 430 down regulated genes. Functional enrichment analysis showed these DEGs were mainly enriched in reproduction, cell adhesion, cell surface interactions at the vascular wall and extracellular matrix organization. Ten genes, HSP90AA1, EGFR, RPS13, RBX1, PAK1, FYN, ABL1, SMAD3, STAT3, and PRKCA were associated with GDM, according to ROC analysis. Finally, the most significant small molecules were predicted based on molecular docking. This investigation identified hub genes, signal pathways and therapeutic agents, which might help us, enhance our understanding of the mechanisms of GDM and find some novel therapeutic agents for GDM.


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