Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 22, 2025
Modeling and Evaluation of Murine Diabetic Cardiomyopathy Model
Published on: November 29, 2024
Identification of hub genes associated with diabetic cardiomyopathy using integrated bioinformatics analysis
Hailong Cui1,2, Die Hu3, Jing Xu3
1Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052, China.
Insights
Diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a serious diabetes complication. Researchers identified five key genes (Pdk4, Lipe, Serpine1, Igf1r, Bcl2l1) that could lead to new diagnostic and treatment targets for DCM.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical research
- Cardiovascular science
- Molecular biology
Background:
- Diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a significant cardiovascular complication of diabetes.
- The molecular mechanisms driving DCM remain incompletely understood.
- Diabetes impacts millions globally, necessitating research into its cardiac effects.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify key molecular mechanisms and potential biomarkers for diabetic cardiomyopathy.
- To screen for novel diagnostic and therapeutic targets for DCM.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) datasets.
- Weighted Gene Correlation Network Analysis (WGCNA) and differential gene expression analysis.
- Gene Ontology (GO), KEGG pathway, and protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analyses for hub gene identification.
- Validation using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR).
Main Results:
- Thirteen differentially co-expressed gene modules were identified.
- Enrichment analysis revealed key pathways related to lipid metabolism and myocardial hypertrophy.
- Six hub genes were identified, with five (Pdk4, Lipe, Serpine1, Igf1r, Bcl2l1) validated in both datasets and experimental models.
- These five genes showed significant changes in DCM.
Conclusions:
- The study successfully identified five crucial genes (Pdk4, Lipe, Serpine1, Igf1r, Bcl2l1) implicated in DCM.
- These genes represent potential novel targets for the diagnosis and treatment of diabetic cardiomyopathy.
- Further research into these genes could advance DCM management strategies.
Abstract:
Diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a common cardiovascular complication of diabetes, which may threaten the quality of life and shorten life expectancy in the diabetic population. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the diabetes cardiomyopathy are not fully elucidated. We analyzed two datasets from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO). Differentially expressed and weighted gene correlation network analysis (WGCNA) was used to screen key genes and molecules. Gene Ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis, and protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis were constructed to identify hub genes. The diagnostic value of the hub gene was evaluated using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC). Quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR) was used to validate the hub genes. A total of 13 differentially co-expressed modules were selected by WGCNA and differential expression analysis. KEGG and GO analysis showed these DEGs were mainly enriched in lipid metabolism and myocardial hypertrophy pathway, cytomembrane, and mitochondrion. As a result, six genes were identified as hub genes. Finally, five genes (Pdk4, Lipe, Serpine1, Igf1r, and Bcl2l1) were found significantly changed in both the validation dataset and experimental mice with DCM. In conclusion, the present study identified five genes that may help provide novel targets for diagnosing and treating DCM.
