LCK, FOXC1 and hsa-miR-146a-5p as potential immune effector molecules associated with rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a type of systemic immune disease characterized by chronic inflammatory disease of the joints. However, the aetiology and underlying molecular events of RA are unclear. Here, we applied bioinformatics analysis to identify potential immune effector molecules involved in RA. The three microarray datasets were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. We used the R software screen 115 overlapping differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Subsequently, we constructed a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network encoded by these DEGs and identified 10 genes closely associated with RA - LCK, GZMA, GZMB, CD2, LAG3, IL-15, TNFRSF4, CD247, CCR5 and CCR7. Furthermore, in the miRNA-hub gene networks, we screened out hsa-miR-146a-5p, which is the miRNA controlling the largest number of hub genes. Finally, we found some transcription factors that closely interact with hub genes, such as FOXC1, GATA2, YY1, RUNX2, SREBF1, CEBPB and NFIC. This study successfully predicted that LCK, FOXC1 and hsa-miR-146a-5p can be used as potential immune effector molecules of RA. Our study may have potential implications for future prediction of disease progression in patients with symptomatic RA, and has important significance for the pathogenesis and targeted therapy of RA.