Identification of Hub Genes Involved in Tubulointerstitial Injury in Diabetic Nephropathy by Bioinformatics Analysis and Experiment Verification

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is the most important cause of end-stage renal disease with a poorer prognosis and high economic burdens of medical treatments. It is of great research value and clinical significance to explore potential gene targets of renal tubulointerstitial lesions in DN. To properly i...

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Main Authors: Jiayi Yang, Li Peng, Yuqiu Tian, Wenbin Tang, Linlin Peng, Jianping Ning, Dongjie Li, Yun Peng
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2022-01-01
Series:Journal of Immunology Research
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2022/7907708
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author Jiayi Yang
Li Peng
Yuqiu Tian
Wenbin Tang
Linlin Peng
Jianping Ning
Dongjie Li
Yun Peng
author_facet Jiayi Yang
Li Peng
Yuqiu Tian
Wenbin Tang
Linlin Peng
Jianping Ning
Dongjie Li
Yun Peng
author_sort Jiayi Yang
collection DOAJ
description Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is the most important cause of end-stage renal disease with a poorer prognosis and high economic burdens of medical treatments. It is of great research value and clinical significance to explore potential gene targets of renal tubulointerstitial lesions in DN. To properly identify key genes associated with tubulointerstitial injury of DN, we initially performed a weighted gene coexpression network analysis of the dataset to screen out two nonconserved gene modules (dark orange and dark red). The regulation of oxidative stress-induced intrinsic apoptotic signaling pathway, PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, p38MAPK cascade, and Th1 and Th2 cell differentiation were primarily included in Gene Ontology (GO) annotation and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways of these two modules. Next, 199 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified via the limma package. Then, the GO annotation and KEGG pathways of the DEGs were primarily enriched in extracellular matrix (ECM) organization, epithelial cell migration, cell adhesion molecules (CAMs), NF-kappa B signaling pathway, and ECM-receptor interaction. Gene set enrichment analysis showed that in the DN group, the interaction of ECM-receptor, CAMs, the interaction of cytokine-cytokine receptor, and complement and coagulation cascade pathways were significantly activated. Eleven key genes, including ALB, ANXA1, ANXA2, C3, CCL2, CLU, EGF, FOS, PLG, TIMP1, and VCAM1, were selected by constructing a protein-protein interaction network, and expression validation, ECM-related pathways, and glomerular filtration rate correlation analysis were performed in the validated dataset. The upregulated expression of hub genes ANXA2 and FOS was verified by real-time quantitative PCR in HK-2 cells treated with high glucose. This study revealed potential regulatory mechanisms of renal tubulointerstitial damage and highlighted the crucial role of extracellular matrix in DN, which may promote the identification of new biomarkers and therapeutic targets.
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spelling doaj-art-ded3e9dea81a4c1cbec52fd3ac617aca2025-08-20T02:21:20ZengWileyJournal of Immunology Research2314-71562022-01-01202210.1155/2022/7907708Identification of Hub Genes Involved in Tubulointerstitial Injury in Diabetic Nephropathy by Bioinformatics Analysis and Experiment VerificationJiayi Yang0Li Peng1Yuqiu Tian2Wenbin Tang3Linlin Peng4Jianping Ning5Dongjie Li6Yun Peng7Department of GeriatricsDepartment of OphthalmologyDepartment of Infectious DiseaseDepartment of NephrologyDepartment of GeriatricsDepartment of NephrologyDepartment of GeriatricsDepartment of GeriatricsDiabetic nephropathy (DN) is the most important cause of end-stage renal disease with a poorer prognosis and high economic burdens of medical treatments. It is of great research value and clinical significance to explore potential gene targets of renal tubulointerstitial lesions in DN. To properly identify key genes associated with tubulointerstitial injury of DN, we initially performed a weighted gene coexpression network analysis of the dataset to screen out two nonconserved gene modules (dark orange and dark red). The regulation of oxidative stress-induced intrinsic apoptotic signaling pathway, PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, p38MAPK cascade, and Th1 and Th2 cell differentiation were primarily included in Gene Ontology (GO) annotation and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways of these two modules. Next, 199 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified via the limma package. Then, the GO annotation and KEGG pathways of the DEGs were primarily enriched in extracellular matrix (ECM) organization, epithelial cell migration, cell adhesion molecules (CAMs), NF-kappa B signaling pathway, and ECM-receptor interaction. Gene set enrichment analysis showed that in the DN group, the interaction of ECM-receptor, CAMs, the interaction of cytokine-cytokine receptor, and complement and coagulation cascade pathways were significantly activated. Eleven key genes, including ALB, ANXA1, ANXA2, C3, CCL2, CLU, EGF, FOS, PLG, TIMP1, and VCAM1, were selected by constructing a protein-protein interaction network, and expression validation, ECM-related pathways, and glomerular filtration rate correlation analysis were performed in the validated dataset. The upregulated expression of hub genes ANXA2 and FOS was verified by real-time quantitative PCR in HK-2 cells treated with high glucose. This study revealed potential regulatory mechanisms of renal tubulointerstitial damage and highlighted the crucial role of extracellular matrix in DN, which may promote the identification of new biomarkers and therapeutic targets.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2022/7907708
spellingShingle Jiayi Yang
Li Peng
Yuqiu Tian
Wenbin Tang
Linlin Peng
Jianping Ning
Dongjie Li
Yun Peng
Identification of Hub Genes Involved in Tubulointerstitial Injury in Diabetic Nephropathy by Bioinformatics Analysis and Experiment Verification
Journal of Immunology Research
title Identification of Hub Genes Involved in Tubulointerstitial Injury in Diabetic Nephropathy by Bioinformatics Analysis and Experiment Verification
title_full Identification of Hub Genes Involved in Tubulointerstitial Injury in Diabetic Nephropathy by Bioinformatics Analysis and Experiment Verification
title_fullStr Identification of Hub Genes Involved in Tubulointerstitial Injury in Diabetic Nephropathy by Bioinformatics Analysis and Experiment Verification
title_full_unstemmed Identification of Hub Genes Involved in Tubulointerstitial Injury in Diabetic Nephropathy by Bioinformatics Analysis and Experiment Verification
title_short Identification of Hub Genes Involved in Tubulointerstitial Injury in Diabetic Nephropathy by Bioinformatics Analysis and Experiment Verification
title_sort identification of hub genes involved in tubulointerstitial injury in diabetic nephropathy by bioinformatics analysis and experiment verification
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2022/7907708
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