Comprehensive Identification of Immune-associated Biomarkers Based on Network and MRNA Expression Patterns in Membranous Glomerulonephritis

Overview

Journal J Transl Med

Publisher Biomed Central

Specialties Biomedical Engineering
General Medicine

Date 2018 Jul 26

PMID 30041664

Citations 1

Authors

Chengwei Zhang

Lei Leng

Xiaoming Zhang

Yao Zhao

Zhaozheng Li

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: Membranous glomerulonephritis (MGN) is the most common cause of nephrotic syndrome in adult patients. Despite extensive evidences suggested that many immune-related genes could serve as effective biomarkers in MGN, the potential has not been sufficiently understood because of most previous studies have concentrated on individual gene and not the entire interaction network.

Methods: Here, we integrated multiple levels of data containing immune-related genes, MGN-related genes, protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks and gene expression profiling data to construct an immune or MGN-directed neighbor network (IOMDN network) and an MGN-related genes-directed network (MGND network).

Results: Our analysis suggested that immune-related genes in the PPI network have special topological characteristics and expression pattern related to MGN. We also identified five network modules which showed tighter network structure and stronger correlation of expression. In addition, functional and drug target analyses of genes in modules indicated that the potential mechanism for MGN.

Conclusions: Collectively, these results indicated that the strong associations between immune and MGN and showed the potential of immune-related genes as novel diagnostic and therapeutic targets for MGN.

Citing Articles

Advances of the experimental models of idiopathic membranous nephropathy (Review).

Jiang H, Feng Z, Zhu Z, Xia C, Zhang W, Guo J Mol Med Rep. 2020; 21(5):1993-2005.

PMID: 32186751 PMC: 7115214. DOI: 10.3892/mmr.2020.11014.

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