Hub genes and key pathways of traumatic brain injury: bioinformatics analysis and in vivo validation  

作　　者：Yun-Liang Tang Long-Jun Fang Ling-Yang Zhong Jian Jiang Xiao-Yang Dong Zhen Feng 

机构地区：[1]Department of Rehabilitation Medicine,The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University,Nanchang,Jiangxi Province,China

出　　处：《Neural Regeneration Research》2020年第12期2262-2269,共8页中国神经再生研究（英文版）

基　　金：supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China,Nos.81860409(to ZF),81660382(to ZF);Graduate Students Innovation Fund Project in Jiangxi Province of China,No.YC2019-B036(to YLT)。

摘　　要：The exact mechanisms associated with secondary brain damage following traumatic brain injury(TBI)remain unclear;therefore,identifying the critical molecular mechanisms involved in TBI is essential.The m RNA expression microarray GSE2871 was downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus(GEO)repository.GSE2871 comprises a total of 31 cerebral cortex samples,including two post-TBI time points.The microarray features eight control and seven TBI samples,from 4 hours post-TBI,and eight control and eight TBI samples from 24 hours post-TBI.In this bioinformatics-based study,109 and 66 differentially expressed genes(DEGs)were identified in a Sprague-Dawley(SD)rat TBI model,4 and 24 hours post-TBI,respectively.Functional enrichment analysis showed that the identified DEGs were significantly enriched in several terms,such as positive regulation of nuclear factor-κB transcription factor activity,mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathway,negative regulation of apoptotic process,and tumor necrosis factor signaling pathway.Moreover,the hub genes with high connectivity degrees were primarily related to inflammatory mediators.To validate the top five hub genes,a rat model of TBI was established using the weight-drop method,and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis of the cerebral cortex was performed.The results showed that compared with control rats,Tnf-α,c-Myc,Spp1,Cxcl10,Ptprc,Egf,Mmp9,and Lcn2 were upregulated,and Fn1 was downregulated in TBI rats.Among these hub genes,Fn1,c-Myc,and Ptprc may represent novel biomarkers or therapeutic targets for TBI.These identified pathways and key genes may provide insights into the molecular mechanisms of TBI and provide potential treatment targets for patients with TBI.This study was approved by the Experimental Animal Ethics Committee of the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University,China(approval No.003)in January 2016.

关 键 词：bioinformatics DEGs differentially expressed genes Gene Ontology hub genes inflammation Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes molecular mechanism traumatic brain injury 

分 类 号：R651.15[医药卫生—外科学]