Identification and verification immune-related regulatory network in acne

Acne is a common inflammatory skin disease with the dysregulation of innate and adaptive immunity. However, the underlying mechanism of acne has not been completely elucidated. In this study, we identified gene signatures and the immune-related regulatory network in acne using integrated bioinformatics methods. Here, 303 Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and 28 Hub genes were identified in acne (GSE53795 and GSE108110), which were associated with the inflammation-related signaling pathway. Subsequently, the CIBERSORT algorithm revealed the increased proinflammatory cells in acne. Moreover, we identified 3 kinases (FGR, HCK and LYN) and 2 transcription factors (TFs) (IRF8 and ZBTB16) from DEGs as the key genes, which regulated immune cell infiltration via targeting immune-related genes in acne. The upregulated 3 kinases (FGR, HCK and LYN) and IRF8, and the downregulated ZBTB16 were also confirmed in GSE6475 and in Acne mice. Based on the expression levels of these key genes, the tissues could be divided into 2 clusters using consensus cluster analysis. GSEA analysis showed that inflammation-related signaling pathways significantly enriched in cluster 2, indicating the important role of kinase and TFs on immune regulation in acne. Finally, we found that isotretinoin and trifarotene (CD5789) treatment repressed the expression of immune genes but not the expression of the kinases and TFs, indicating that kinases and TFs may be novel therapeutic target for acne. In conclusion, 3 kinases and 2 TFs were identified and validated as key regulators in the immune-related regulatory networks in acne, providing a more comprehensive understanding and novel therapeutic targets of acne.