Bioinformatics and system biology approach to discover the common pathogenetic processes between COVID-19 and chronic hepatitis B.

<h4>Introduction</h4>The ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), presents a significant global public health threat. Concurrently, hepatitis B virus (HBV) remains a significant public health challen...

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Main Authors: Xiao Ma, Tengda Huang, Yujia Song, Hongyuan Pan, Ao Du, Xinyi Zhou, Yong Zeng, Kefei Yuan
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2025-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0323708
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author Xiao Ma
Tengda Huang
Yujia Song
Hongyuan Pan
Ao Du
Xinyi Zhou
Yong Zeng
Kefei Yuan
author_facet Xiao Ma
Tengda Huang
Yujia Song
Hongyuan Pan
Ao Du
Xinyi Zhou
Yong Zeng
Kefei Yuan
author_sort Xiao Ma
collection DOAJ
description <h4>Introduction</h4>The ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), presents a significant global public health threat. Concurrently, hepatitis B virus (HBV) remains a significant public health challenge. While previous studies have indicated an association between COVID-19 and chronic hepatitis B, the common underlying pathogenesis of these diseases remains incompletely understood.<h4>Methods</h4>To investigate the shared molecular mechanisms between chronic HBV infection and COVID-19, a comprehensive investigation was conducted using bioinformatics and systems biology. Specifically, we utilized RNA-seq datasets (GSE196822 and GSE83148) to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) associated with both SARS-CoV-2 and HBV infection. Subsequently, these common DEGs were utilized to identify shared pathways, hub genes, transcriptional regulatory networks, and potential drugs. The differential expression of hub genes in both COVID-19 and HBV was verified using the GSE171110 and GSE94660 datasets, respectively.<h4>Results</h4>From the 106 shared DEGs identified, immune-related pathways were found to play a role in the development and progression of chronic hepatitis B and COVID-19. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis revealed 8 hub genes: CDK1, E2F7, E2F8, TYMS, KIF20A, CENPE, TPX2, HMMR, CD8A, GZMA. In the validation set, the expression of hub genes was statistically significant in both the COVID-19 group and the HBV group compared with the healthy control group. Transcriptional regulatory network analysis identified 155 microRNAs (miRNAs) and 43 transcription factors (TFs) as potential regulatory signals. Notably, we identified potential therapeutic drugs for HBV chronic infection and COVID-19, including progesterone, estradiol, dasatinib, aspirin, etoposide, irinotecan hydrochloride, phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate, lucanthone, calcitriol.<h4>Conclusion</h4>This research elucidates potential molecular targets, signaling pathways, and promising small molecule compounds that could aid in the treatment of chronic HBV infection and COVID-19.
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spelling doaj-art-5164d85b536e473ab9ebdd93072ec6e82025-08-20T03:48:26ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032025-01-01205e032370810.1371/journal.pone.0323708Bioinformatics and system biology approach to discover the common pathogenetic processes between COVID-19 and chronic hepatitis B.Xiao MaTengda HuangYujia SongHongyuan PanAo DuXinyi ZhouYong ZengKefei Yuan<h4>Introduction</h4>The ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), presents a significant global public health threat. Concurrently, hepatitis B virus (HBV) remains a significant public health challenge. While previous studies have indicated an association between COVID-19 and chronic hepatitis B, the common underlying pathogenesis of these diseases remains incompletely understood.<h4>Methods</h4>To investigate the shared molecular mechanisms between chronic HBV infection and COVID-19, a comprehensive investigation was conducted using bioinformatics and systems biology. Specifically, we utilized RNA-seq datasets (GSE196822 and GSE83148) to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) associated with both SARS-CoV-2 and HBV infection. Subsequently, these common DEGs were utilized to identify shared pathways, hub genes, transcriptional regulatory networks, and potential drugs. The differential expression of hub genes in both COVID-19 and HBV was verified using the GSE171110 and GSE94660 datasets, respectively.<h4>Results</h4>From the 106 shared DEGs identified, immune-related pathways were found to play a role in the development and progression of chronic hepatitis B and COVID-19. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis revealed 8 hub genes: CDK1, E2F7, E2F8, TYMS, KIF20A, CENPE, TPX2, HMMR, CD8A, GZMA. In the validation set, the expression of hub genes was statistically significant in both the COVID-19 group and the HBV group compared with the healthy control group. Transcriptional regulatory network analysis identified 155 microRNAs (miRNAs) and 43 transcription factors (TFs) as potential regulatory signals. Notably, we identified potential therapeutic drugs for HBV chronic infection and COVID-19, including progesterone, estradiol, dasatinib, aspirin, etoposide, irinotecan hydrochloride, phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate, lucanthone, calcitriol.<h4>Conclusion</h4>This research elucidates potential molecular targets, signaling pathways, and promising small molecule compounds that could aid in the treatment of chronic HBV infection and COVID-19.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0323708
spellingShingle Xiao Ma
Tengda Huang
Yujia Song
Hongyuan Pan
Ao Du
Xinyi Zhou
Yong Zeng
Kefei Yuan
Bioinformatics and system biology approach to discover the common pathogenetic processes between COVID-19 and chronic hepatitis B.
PLoS ONE
title Bioinformatics and system biology approach to discover the common pathogenetic processes between COVID-19 and chronic hepatitis B.
title_full Bioinformatics and system biology approach to discover the common pathogenetic processes between COVID-19 and chronic hepatitis B.
title_fullStr Bioinformatics and system biology approach to discover the common pathogenetic processes between COVID-19 and chronic hepatitis B.
title_full_unstemmed Bioinformatics and system biology approach to discover the common pathogenetic processes between COVID-19 and chronic hepatitis B.
title_short Bioinformatics and system biology approach to discover the common pathogenetic processes between COVID-19 and chronic hepatitis B.
title_sort bioinformatics and system biology approach to discover the common pathogenetic processes between covid 19 and chronic hepatitis b
url https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0323708
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