A comprehensive analysis of the co-pathogenesis of atrial fibrillation and atherosclerosis based on bioinformatics

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is closely related to atherosclerosis (AS), but the common mechanism of the two remains unclear, This study aims to further explore the common hub genes and molecular pathways, to elucidate the common mechanisms of AF and AS. Methods: AF (GSE41177) and AS (GSE28829) data sets were downloaded from the gene expression Synthesis (GEO) database to search for the co-expressed differential genes (EDGs) of AF and AS, and to analyze the enrichment function of common DEGs. The protein-protein Interaction (PPI) network was created using the (STRING) database with Cytoscape software, and the plug-in cytoHubba was used to select hub genes. The central gene was verified in GSE14905 (AF) and GSE100927 (AS), and the enrichment function of the hub gene was analyzed. In four data sets, GSE41177, GSE28829, GSE14905, and GSE100927, subject manipulation characteristic curves were used to evaluate the availability of hub genes. Results: A total of 42 common DEGs (37 up-regulated genes and 5 down-regulated genes) were selected for analysis. The PPI network was constructed, and 15 key genes of PPI were identified through cytoHubba, and 9 key genes were finally verified, namely NCF2, C1QC, ITGB2, HLA-DRA, TYROBP, VSIG4, FCER1G, LAPTM5, and C1QB. Finally, the ROC curve was used to verify the effectiveness of key genes. In the result table, 9 hub genes had strong diagnostic values. Conclusions: In our study, we conducted gene differential expression analysis, functional enrichment analysis, and PPI analysis for DEGs in AF and AS, identified key genes in AF and AS, provided potential biomarkers for the identification of AF and AS, revealed the common pathogenesis of AF and AS, and provided new ideas for the treatment of AF combined with AS.