Identification of Key Genes Involved in Post-traumatic Stress Disorder: Evidence from Bioinformatics Analysis

Overview

Journal World J Psychiatry

Publisher Baishideng Publishing Group

Specialty Psychiatry

Date 2021 Jan 4

PMID 33392005

Citations 1

Authors

Yao-Yao Bian

Li-Li Yang

Bin Zhang

Wen Li

Zheng-Jun Li

Wen-Lin Li

Li Zeng

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a serious stress-related disorder.

Aim: To identify the key genes and pathways to uncover the potential mechanisms of PTSD using bioinformatics methods.

Methods: Gene expression profiles were obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified by using GEO2R. Gene functional annotation and pathway enrichment were then conducted. The gene-pathway network was constructed with Cytoscape software. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) analysis was applied for validation, and text mining by Coremine Medical was used to confirm the connections among genes and pathways.

Results: We identified 973 DEGs including 358 upregulated genes and 615 downregulated genes in PTSD. A group of centrality hub genes and significantly enriched pathways (MAPK, Ras, and ErbB signaling pathways) were identified by using gene functional assignment and enrichment analyses. Six genes (, , , , , and ) were selected to validate using qRT-PCR. The results of text mining further confirmed the correlation among hub genes and the enriched pathways. It indicated that these altered genes displayed functional roles in PTSD these pathways, which might serve as key signatures in the pathogenesis of PTSD.

Conclusion: The current study identified a panel of candidate genes and important pathways, which might help us deepen our understanding of the underlying mechanism of PTSD at the molecular level. However, further studies are warranted to discover the critical regulatory mechanism of these genes relevant pathways in PTSD.

Citing Articles

Using Monozygotic Twins to Dissect Common Genes in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Migraine.

Bainomugisa C, Sutherland H, Parker R, McRae A, Haupt L, Griffiths L Front Neurosci. 2021; 15:678350.

PMID: 34239411 PMC: 8258453. DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2021.678350.

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