Transcriptomic Analysis Reveals Genetic Cross-Talk between Periodontitis and Hypothyroidism.

Area of Science:

• Bioinformatics
• Genomics
• Transcriptomics
• Immunology

Background:

• Periodontitis (PD) and hypothyroidism (HT) are distinct conditions with potential shared underlying mechanisms.
• Understanding the molecular interplay between PD and HT is crucial for comprehensive disease management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the genetic cross-talk between periodontitis and hypothyroidism using transcriptomic data.
• To identify key genes and biological pathways involved in the shared genetic basis of PD and HT.

Main Methods:

• Downloaded and analyzed gene expression datasets for HT and PD from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database.
• Identified differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and their intersection to pinpoint cross-talk genes.
• Performed Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analyses.
• Constructed a Protein-Protein Interaction (PPI) network and performed ROC analysis for diagnostic accuracy.

Main Results:

• Identified 107 overlapping DEGs (cross-talk genes) between HT and PD.
• Significantly enriched biological processes included developmental process, cell differentiation, and immune system process.
• KEGG analysis highlighted pathways such as Complement and coagulation cascades and Chemokine signaling pathway.
• LCE family genes, ITGAM, C1QB, TREM2, and CD19 were identified as top cross-talk genes, with high diagnostic accuracy (AUC > 60-81%) in predicting disease status.

Conclusions:

• A significant genetic cross-talk exists between periodontitis and hypothyroidism.
• LCE family genes play a prominent role in the shared genetic mechanisms of these two conditions.
• These findings provide a molecular basis for understanding the co-occurrence and potential shared pathways of PD and HT.