Identification of Crucial Genes and Related Transcription Factors in Ulcerative Colitis

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic, relapsing, and non-specific inflammatory bowel disease. To date, the pathogenesis of UC has not been fully understood. This study aimed to identify crucial genes and related transcription factors in UC by bioinformatic methods.

Datasets GSE75214 and GSE48958 were used to identify the common differentially expressed genes (DEGs). GO and KEGG pathway enrichment analyses were performed using the STRING database. The protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed to screen hub genes using the STRING database and Cytoscape software. The expressions of the identified hub genes were verified using dataset GSE73661, and their correlations with Mayo scores were analyzed using dataset GSE92415. The transcriptional factor (TF) regulatory network of the hubgenes was constructed by Network Analyst.

A total of 147 common DEGs, including 114 up-regulated and 33 down-regulated genes, were screened out, among which CXCL9, TIMP1, PTGS2, ICAM1, CXCL1, MMP9, IL1B, CXCL8, and IL6 were identified as hub genes with high degrees in the PPI network. Correlation analysis showed that the expressions of these hub genes were significantly correlated with Mayo scores in UC patients. Finally, RELA, FLI1, and BACH1 were predicted to be the key TFs regulating these nine hub genes.

This study systematically analyzed the differential gene expression pattern and associated key TFs in UC, which may provide new insights into the pathogenesis and offer opportunities for discovering novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets for UC.