Key result
Weighted gene co-expression network analysis identified 10 hub genes, including Fbn1, Itga8, and Edn1, and key pathways involved in the progression of hypoplastic left heart syndrome.
Why the study?
Despite surgical advances, mortality and morbidity in hypoplastic left heart syndrome remain high, and little is known regarding its underlying molecular abnormalities.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
Hub gene candidates in HLHS require functional validation; leaves open their utility for risk stratification or targeted interventions.
BACKGROUND: Despite significant progress in surgical treatment of hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS), its mortality and morbidity are still high. Little is known about the molecular abnormalities of the syndrome. In this study, we aimed to probe into hub genes and key pathways in the progression of the syndrome. METHODS: Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in left ventricle (LV) or right ventricle (RV) tissues between HLHS and controls using the GSE77798 dataset. Then, weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) was performed and key modules were constructed for HLHS. Based on the genes in the key modules, protein-protein interaction networks were conducted, and hub genes and key pathways were screened. Finally, the GSE23959 dataset was used to validate hub genes between HLHS and controls. RESULTS: We identified 88 and 41 DEGs in LV and RV tissues between HLHS and controls, respectively. DEGs in LV tissues of HLHS were distinctly involved in heart development, apoptotic signaling pathway and ECM receptor interaction. DEGs in RV tissues of HLHS were mainly enriched in BMP signaling pathway, regulation of cell development and regulation of blood pressure. A total of 16 co-expression network were constructed. Among them, black module (r = 0.79 and p value = 2e-04) and pink module (r = 0.84 and p value = 4e-05) had the most significant correlation with HLHS, indicating that the two modules could be the most relevant for HLHS progression. We identified five hub genes in the black module (including Fbn1, Itga8, Itga11, Itgb5 and Thbs2), and five hub genes (including Cblb, Ccl2, Edn1, Itgb3 and Map2k1) in the pink module for HLHS. Their abnormal expression was verified in the GSE23959 dataset. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings revealed hub genes and key pathways for HLHS through WGCNA, which could play key roles in the molecular mechanism of HLHS.
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Liu et al. (2021) studied Hypoplastic left heart syndrome (n=32). Hypoplastic left heart syndrome vs. Healthy controls was evaluated on Identification of differentially expressed genes and hub genes. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis identified 10 hub genes, including Fbn1, Itga8, and Edn1, and key pathways involved in the progression of hypoplastic left heart syndrome.
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