Bioinformatic Analysis Combined With Experimental Validation Reveals Novel Hub Genes and Pathways Associated With Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis.

Yan-Pei Hou,Zhi-Hui Xu,Bing Li,Tian-Tian Diao,Xin-Yue Mao,Chang Wang

doi:10.3389/fmolb.2021.691966

Abstract

Background: Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) is a type of nephrotic syndrome leading to end-stage renal disease, and this study aimed to explore the hub genes and pathways associated with FSGS to identify potential diagnostic and therapeutic targets. Methods: We downloaded the microarray datasets GSE121233 and GSE129973 from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. The datasets comprise 25 FSGS samples and 25 normal samples. The differential expression genes (DEGs) were identified using the R package “limma”. Gene Ontology (GO) function and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses were performed using the database for Annotation, Visualization and Integrated Discovery (DAVID) to identify the pathways and functional annotation of the DEGs. The protein–protein interaction (PPI) was constructed based on the Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes (STRING) database and visualized using Cytoscape software. The hub genes of the DEGs were then evaluated using the cytoHubba plugin of Cytoscape. The expression of the hub genes was validated by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) using the FSGS rat model, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed to validate the accuracy of these hub genes. Results: A total of 45 DEGs including 18 upregulated and 27 downregulated DEGs, were identified in the two GSE datasets (GSE121233 and GSE129973). Among them, five hub genes with a high degree of connectivity were selected. From the PPI network, of the top five hub genes, FN1 was upregulated, while ALB, EGF, TTR, and KNG1 were downregulated. The qRT-PCR analysis of FSGS rats confirmed that the expression of FN1 was upregulated and that of EGF and TTR was downregulated. The ROC analysis indicated that FN1, EGF, and TTR showed considerable diagnostic efficiency for FSGS. Conclusion: Three novel FSGS-specific genes were identified through bioinformatic analysis combined with experimental validation, which may promote our understanding of the molecular underpinning of FSGS and provide potential therapeutic targets for the clinical management.

Highlights

Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) is the most common form of glomerular disease that leads to end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in America (Rosenberg and Kopp, 2017) and is the fourth leading cause in China (Xu et al, 2016)
All differential expression genes (DEGs) were screened by comparing the FSGS samples with the normal samples
179 DEGs were identified from the gene expression dataset GSE129973, and these consisted of 67 upregulated genes and 112 downregulated genes

Summary

Introduction

Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) is the most common form of glomerular disease that leads to end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in America (Rosenberg and Kopp, 2017) and is the fourth leading cause in China (Xu et al, 2016). FSGS accounts for nearly 40% of adult nephrotic syndrome (D’Agati et al, 2011), and approximately 50% of patients will progress to ESRD within 3–8 years after the diagnosis of FSGS (Podestà and Ponticelli, 2020). Understanding the exact molecular mechanism of FSGS may facilitate the effective diagnosis and treatment strategies. Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) is a type of nephrotic syndrome leading to end-stage renal disease, and this study aimed to explore the hub genes and pathways associated with FSGS to identify potential diagnostic and therapeutic targets

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Discussion

Conclusion