Identification of circulating immune landscape in ischemic stroke based on bioinformatics methods

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Immunology
• Genetics

Background:

• Ischemic stroke (IS) is a prevalent condition with significant health impacts.
• Neuroinflammation and immune responses are critical in IS pathophysiology, but mechanisms remain unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify novel immune biomarkers associated with ischemic stroke (IS).
• To explore the immune mechanisms underlying IS and potential therapeutic targets.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective collection of validated IS immune-related genes (IS-IRGs).
• Identification of potential IS-IRGs using network analysis (random walk with restart) and permutation testing.
• Differential expression analysis on microarray data and biomarker selection via Random Forest and Neural Network algorithms.
• Immune cell proportion analysis using CIBERSORT.

Main Results:

• A comprehensive IS-IRG catalog was established.
• CLEC4D and CD163 were identified as robust immune biomarkers for IS.
• A classification model based on CLEC4D and CD163 demonstrated diagnostic potential.
• CLEC4D showed a strong positive correlation with neutrophil proportions.

Conclusions:

• CLEC4D and CD163 serve as promising immune biomarkers for ischemic stroke.
• These biomarkers may aid in understanding IS-related immune responses and developing targeted therapies.
• The findings suggest potential for immuno-neuroprotection strategies against reperfusion injury.