Exploring shared pathways and the shared biomarker ERRFI1 in Obstructive sleep apnoea and atherosclerosis using...

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Science
• Sleep Medicine
• Genomics

Background:

• Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is an upper airway disorder linked to atherosclerosis (AS), a major cardiovascular disease.
• AS has significant global mortality due to environmental and genetic factors.
• Identifying shared mechanisms between OSA and AS is crucial for understanding disease pathogenesis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate common molecular pathways and identify potential shared biomarkers for Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Atherosclerosis.
• To explore the role of immune cell infiltration in the context of these shared biomarkers.

Main Methods:

• Utilized microarray data from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in OSA and AS.
• Applied Weighted Gene Co-expression Network Analysis (WGCNA) to find co-expression modules.
• Employed the Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) method for critical biomarker identification.
• Conducted immune cell infiltration analysis to correlate immune cells with identified biomarkers.

Main Results:

• DEGs implicated in inflammatory processes, chemokine signaling, and cell adhesion molecular changes were identified.
• ERBB receptor feedback inhibitor 1 (ERRFI1) was identified as the most significant shared biomarker for both OSA and AS.
• ERRFI1 expression demonstrated a correlation with alterations in immune cell infiltration patterns.

Conclusions:

• Shared pathogenesis between OSA and AS may involve immune pathways, inflammation, and cell adhesion molecule alterations.
• ERRFI1 represents a promising potential diagnostic marker for patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Atherosclerosis.
• Further research into ERRFI1's role could lead to improved diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for these interconnected conditions.