Identification of SCRG1 as a Potential Therapeutic Target for Human Synovial Inflammation

Synovial inflammation of joint tissue is the most important cause of tissue damage, joint destruction, and disability and is associated with higher morbidity or mortality. Therefore, this study aims to identify key genes in osteoarthritis synovitis tissue to increase our understanding of the underlying mechanisms of osteoarthritis and identify new therapeutic targets. Five GEO datasets with a total of 41 normal synovial membrane tissues and 45 osteoarthritis synovial membrane samples were used for analysis, and seven common differential genes were identified. The classification model constructed by LASSO analysis showed that six genes including CDKN1A, FOSB, STMN2, SLC2A3, TAC, and SCRG1 can be used as biomarkers of osteoarthritis, and the SCRG1 gene shows importance in osteoarthritis. Furthermore, drug database enrichment found that these six DEGs may be the drug targets of synovitis in osteoarthritis, and Valproic Acid CTD 00006977 may be a potential targeted therapeutic drug of SCRG1. Spearman correlation analysis was performed on the SCRG1 gene, and 27 genes with consistent expression were obtained. Functional analysis showed that 27 genes were mainly involved in metabolism, complement, antigen presentation, apoptosis, and regulation of immune pathways. The co-regulatory network of TFs-miRNA suggested that the SCRG1 gene may be regulated by hsa-miR-363-3p miRNA. In conclusion, SCRG1, as a diagnostic marker of osteoarthritis, co-regulates immune-related pathways through the interaction of related proteins, playing an important role in the occurrence and development of osteoarthritis, which may be a novel drug target.