Identification of the molecular mechanisms associated with acute type A aortic dissection through bioinformatics methods

Abstract

Aortic dissection is characterized by the redirection of blood flow, which flows through an intimal tear into the aortic media. The purpose of this study was to find potential acute type A aortic dissection (AAAD)-related genes and molecular mechanisms by bioinformatics. The gene expression profiles of GSE52093 were obtained from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database, including 7 AAAD samples and 5 normal samples. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were detected between AAAD and normal samples. The functional annotation and pathway enrichment analysis were conducted through the Database for Annotation, Visualization and Integration Discovery (DAVID). A protein-protein interaction network was established by the Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes (STRING) software. The microRNAs (miRNAs) of these differentially expressed genes were predicted using omicroRNA.org4 database. Moreover, DEGs were analyzed in the comparative toxicogenomics (CTD) database to screen out the potential therapeutic small molecules. As a result, there were 172 DEGs identified in patients with AAAD. These DEGs were significantly enriched in 6 pathways, including cell cycle, oocyte meiosis, DNA replication, extracellular matrix-receptor interaction, and mineral absorption pathway. Notably, CDC20, CDK1, CHEK1, KIF20A, MCM10, PBK, PTTG1, RACGAP, and TOP2A were crucial genes with a high degree in the proteinprotein interaction network. Furthermore, potential miRNAs (miR-301, miR-302 family, and miR-130 family) were identified. In addition, small molecules like azathioprine and zoledronic acid were identified to be potential drugs for AAAD.

Analysis of MCM Proteins’ Role as a Potential Target of Statins in Patients with Acute Type A Aortic Dissection through Bioinformatics

“…Our WGCNA network analysis showed that the top DEGs were mostly enriched in processes related to cell-cycle control. Tao Jiang et al also found that cell-cycle and Extracellular matrix (ECM)-receptor pathways might play important roles in type A acute aortic dissection (AAAD) [ 29 ]; this is consistent with our results. The MCMs are a group of proteins that play a key role in DNA replication, the most important step of cell division.…”

Analysis of Hub Genes and the Mechanism of Immune Infiltration in Stanford Type a Aortic Dissection

“…Several previous studies have studied hub genes of AAD and their function in the development of AAD to provide new insight for AAD with the aid of microarray and high-throughput sequencing technologies. However, these studies only identified hub genes and did not further analyze the underlying molecular mechanisms in the occurrence and development of AAD or the role of hub genes in certain mechanisms (3)(4)(5)(6). In this study, we not only analyzed the hub genes of AAD but also innovatively studied immune infiltration in AAD.…”

“…With the development of information technology, bioinformatics analysis can be used as an effective tool to study gene expression profiles and reveal the underlying molecular biological mechanism to provide a direction for future basic research. In recent research, some hub genes and their interactions in AAD were revealed, and underlying pathways involving hub genes were indicated (3)(4)(5)(6). In addition, the relationship between AAD and immune-inflammatory mechanisms has been closely examined in some studies (7).…”

Patterns of Immune Infiltration and the Key Immune-Related Genes in Acute Type A Aortic Dissection in Bioinformatics Analyses

“… 1 The mortality rate of acute type A aortic dissection (TAAD), the most severe form of AD, reaches 26–58% in patients who have undergone surgery or been treated noninvasively. 2 TAAD is a surgical emergency and its management has the complexity and poor outcomes when there is organ malperfusion. 3 …”