Identification of two hub genes and miRNA‑mRNA interactions in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) plasma

Abstract

Background

We aimed to identify hub genes in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) plasma through the exploration of a putative miRNA–mRNA regulatory network.

Methods

Three datasets (GSE24709, GSE102915, GSE136390) were utilized to discern differentially expressed miRNAs (DEMs) between COPD and normal plasma. miRNET was employed to predict the potential targets of DEMs. Subsequent GO and KEGG analyses were conducted using DAVID. For the construction of the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network and screening of hub genes, STRING and Cytoscape were employed. The expression validation was assessed through GSE56768.

Results

The results revealed 395 genes targeted by up-regulated DEMs and 234 genes targeted by down-regulated DEMs. The target genes exhibited significant enrichment in the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway and the p53 signaling pathway. Through the validation of hub genes’ expression, we proposed two potential miRNA-mRNA interactions: miR-126-5p/miR-495-3p/miR-193b-3p - YWHAZ and miR-937-5p/miR-183-5p/miR-34c-5p/miR-98-5p/miR-525-3p/miR-215-5p - ACTB.

Conclusions

In conclusion, our study posits potential miRNA-mRNA interactions in COPD by analyzing datasets from public databases, contributing valuable insights into the understanding of COPD pathogenesis and potential therapeutic avenues.

Graphical_Abstract

Keywords:

• chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
• microRNAs
• miRNA–mRNA interaction
• protein-protein interaction (PPI)
• hub genes

Authors’ contributions

Yuanyuan Qian participated in the design of the study and review. Yifei Li drafted the manuscript and participated in data collection and analysis. Zhaojunli Wang and Jiancheng Ji participated in the data collection and analysis. All authors contributed to the article and approved the submitted version.

Disclosure statement

The authors declare no conflict interests.

Data availability statement

The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.