Integrated analysis and validation of ferroptosis-related genes and immune infiltration in acute myocardial...

Area of Science:

• Biomedical research
• Cardiovascular disease research
• Molecular biology

Background:

• Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is a major cause of death and illness in coronary heart disease patients.
• Ferroptosis, a form of iron-dependent cell death involving lipid peroxide accumulation, contributes to cardiomyocyte injury in AMI.
• Identifying ferroptosis biomarkers and their link to immune infiltration is crucial for understanding AMI.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify ferroptosis-related genes (FRGs) associated with AMI.
• To investigate the relationship between these genes and immune cell infiltration in AMI.
• To establish a potential diagnostic biomarker and regulatory axis for ferroptosis in AMI.

Main Methods:

• Differential expression analysis of FRGs using the GSE59867 dataset.
• Construction of ceRNA networks and protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks.
• Identification of key FRGs using LASSO and hub gene analysis, followed by immune cell infiltration analysis (ImmcullAI) and ROC curve analysis.

Main Results:

• PIK3CA and TLR4 were identified as key ferroptosis-related genes in AMI, with PIK3CA confirmed as a diagnostic biomarker.
• Significant differences in immune cell infiltration were observed in AMI samples compared to controls.
• A correlation between PIK3CA/TLR4 and 24 immune cell subsets was established, revealing an immune-related regulatory axis (XIST/OIP5-AS1/miR-216a/PIK3CA).

Conclusions:

• PIK3CA is a promising diagnostic biomarker for acute myocardial infarction.
• The identified immune-related regulatory axis offers novel insights into the mechanisms of ferroptosis in AMI progression.
• This axis may represent a potential therapeutic target for managing AMI.