Comprehensive analysis of lactylation-related gene and immune microenvironment in atrial fibrillation

BackgroundAtrial fibrillation (AF) is a common arrhythmia associated with an increased risk of stroke, heart failure, and mortality. Immune infiltration plays a crucial role in AF pathogenesis, yet its mechanisms remain unclear. Lactylation, a novel post-translational modification, has been implicat...

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Main Authors: Yazhe Ma, Youcheng Wang, Yuanjia Ke, Qingyan Zhao, Jie Fan, Yang Chen
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2025-04-01
Series:Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine
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Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcvm.2025.1567310/full
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author Yazhe Ma
Youcheng Wang
Yuanjia Ke
Yuanjia Ke
Yuanjia Ke
Qingyan Zhao
Qingyan Zhao
Qingyan Zhao
Jie Fan
Yang Chen
author_facet Yazhe Ma
Youcheng Wang
Yuanjia Ke
Yuanjia Ke
Yuanjia Ke
Qingyan Zhao
Qingyan Zhao
Qingyan Zhao
Jie Fan
Yang Chen
author_sort Yazhe Ma
collection DOAJ
description BackgroundAtrial fibrillation (AF) is a common arrhythmia associated with an increased risk of stroke, heart failure, and mortality. Immune infiltration plays a crucial role in AF pathogenesis, yet its mechanisms remain unclear. Lactylation, a novel post-translational modification, has been implicated in immune regulation, but its association with AF remains unexplored. This study aims to elucidate the relationship between lactylation and immune infiltration in AF and identify potential diagnostic biomarkers.MethodsGene expression data from left atrial tissue samples of AF and sinus rhythm (SR) patients were obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database (GSE41177, GSE79768, GSE115574, GSE2240, GSE14975, and GSE128188). Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between AF and SR samples were identified, followed by pathway enrichment and immune infiltration analysis. Correlation analysis and WGCNA were performed to assess interactions between lactylation-related genes and immune-associated DEGs. Machine learning models, including Random Forest and Support Vector Machine (SVM), were applied to select potential AF-related diagnostic biomarkers, and validated in the animal model (beagles; n = 6).ResultsA total of 5,648 DEGs were identified, including six lactylation-related genes (DDX39A, ARID3A, TKT, NUP50, G6PD, and VCAN). Co-expression and WGCNA analyses identified lactylation- and immune-associated gene modules in AF. Functional enrichment analysis highlighted immune-related pathways such as T cell activation and neutrophil degranulation. A five-gene diagnostic model (FOXK1, JAM3, LOC100288798, MCM4, and RCAN1) achieved high predictive accuracy (AUC = 0.969 in training, 0.907 in self-test, and 0.950, 0.760, 0.890 in independent datasets). Experimental validation confirmed the upregulated expression of these biomarkers in AF.ConclusionThis study reveals a strong association between lactylation-related genes and immune infiltration in AF, suggesting their involvement in immune remodeling. The identified five-gene signature serves as a potential diagnostic biomarker set, offering novel insights into AF pathogenesis and contributing to improved diagnosis and targeted therapeutic strategies. Future studies integrating proteomic and single-cell analyses will further clarify the role of lactylation in AF.
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spelling doaj-art-816a1d37accf4dc38ffe30099d3dd2f42025-08-20T03:14:53ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine2297-055X2025-04-011210.3389/fcvm.2025.15673101567310Comprehensive analysis of lactylation-related gene and immune microenvironment in atrial fibrillationYazhe Ma0Youcheng Wang1Yuanjia Ke2Yuanjia Ke3Yuanjia Ke4Qingyan Zhao5Qingyan Zhao6Qingyan Zhao7Jie Fan8Yang Chen9Yunnan Arrhythmia Research Center, The First People's Hospital of Yunnan Province & The Affiliated Hospital of Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, Yunnan, ChinaDepartment of Cardiology, The Affiliated Dongguan Songshan Lake Central Hospital, Dongguan Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Aging and Myocardial Regeneration, Dongguan Cardiovascular Research Institute, Dongguan, ChinaDepartment of Cardiology, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, ChinaCardiovascular Research Institute, Wuhan University, Wuhan, ChinaHubei Key Laboratory of Cardiology, Wuhan, ChinaDepartment of Cardiology, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, ChinaCardiovascular Research Institute, Wuhan University, Wuhan, ChinaHubei Key Laboratory of Cardiology, Wuhan, ChinaYunnan Arrhythmia Research Center, The First People's Hospital of Yunnan Province & The Affiliated Hospital of Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, Yunnan, ChinaDepartment of Pathology, The First People's Hospital of Yunnan Province, The Affiliated Hospital of Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, Yunnan, ChinaBackgroundAtrial fibrillation (AF) is a common arrhythmia associated with an increased risk of stroke, heart failure, and mortality. Immune infiltration plays a crucial role in AF pathogenesis, yet its mechanisms remain unclear. Lactylation, a novel post-translational modification, has been implicated in immune regulation, but its association with AF remains unexplored. This study aims to elucidate the relationship between lactylation and immune infiltration in AF and identify potential diagnostic biomarkers.MethodsGene expression data from left atrial tissue samples of AF and sinus rhythm (SR) patients were obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database (GSE41177, GSE79768, GSE115574, GSE2240, GSE14975, and GSE128188). Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between AF and SR samples were identified, followed by pathway enrichment and immune infiltration analysis. Correlation analysis and WGCNA were performed to assess interactions between lactylation-related genes and immune-associated DEGs. Machine learning models, including Random Forest and Support Vector Machine (SVM), were applied to select potential AF-related diagnostic biomarkers, and validated in the animal model (beagles; n = 6).ResultsA total of 5,648 DEGs were identified, including six lactylation-related genes (DDX39A, ARID3A, TKT, NUP50, G6PD, and VCAN). Co-expression and WGCNA analyses identified lactylation- and immune-associated gene modules in AF. Functional enrichment analysis highlighted immune-related pathways such as T cell activation and neutrophil degranulation. A five-gene diagnostic model (FOXK1, JAM3, LOC100288798, MCM4, and RCAN1) achieved high predictive accuracy (AUC = 0.969 in training, 0.907 in self-test, and 0.950, 0.760, 0.890 in independent datasets). Experimental validation confirmed the upregulated expression of these biomarkers in AF.ConclusionThis study reveals a strong association between lactylation-related genes and immune infiltration in AF, suggesting their involvement in immune remodeling. The identified five-gene signature serves as a potential diagnostic biomarker set, offering novel insights into AF pathogenesis and contributing to improved diagnosis and targeted therapeutic strategies. Future studies integrating proteomic and single-cell analyses will further clarify the role of lactylation in AF.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcvm.2025.1567310/fullatrial fibrillationlactylationimmune infiltrationmachine learningdiagnostic biomarkers
spellingShingle Yazhe Ma
Youcheng Wang
Yuanjia Ke
Yuanjia Ke
Yuanjia Ke
Qingyan Zhao
Qingyan Zhao
Qingyan Zhao
Jie Fan
Yang Chen
Comprehensive analysis of lactylation-related gene and immune microenvironment in atrial fibrillation
Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine
atrial fibrillation
lactylation
immune infiltration
machine learning
diagnostic biomarkers
title Comprehensive analysis of lactylation-related gene and immune microenvironment in atrial fibrillation
title_full Comprehensive analysis of lactylation-related gene and immune microenvironment in atrial fibrillation
title_fullStr Comprehensive analysis of lactylation-related gene and immune microenvironment in atrial fibrillation
title_full_unstemmed Comprehensive analysis of lactylation-related gene and immune microenvironment in atrial fibrillation
title_short Comprehensive analysis of lactylation-related gene and immune microenvironment in atrial fibrillation
title_sort comprehensive analysis of lactylation related gene and immune microenvironment in atrial fibrillation
topic atrial fibrillation
lactylation
immune infiltration
machine learning
diagnostic biomarkers
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcvm.2025.1567310/full
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