Transcriptomic analysis of key genes and signaling pathways in sepsis-associated intestinal mucosal barrier damage

The aim is to analyze differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in mice with sepsis-related intestinal mucosal barrier damage and to explore the diagnostic and protective mechanisms of this condition at the transcriptome level.

Small intestinal tissues from healthy male C57BL/6J mice subjected to Cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) and sham operation were collected. High-throughput sequencing was performed using the paired-end sequencing mode of the Illumina HiSeq platform. Gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analyses were conducted on the differentially expressed genes (DEGs). A protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed using the STRING database, and hub genes were identified with Cytoscape. These hub genes were then validated using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR).

A total of 239 DEGs were identified, with 49 upregulated and 130 downregulated genes. KEGG enrichment analysis showed that these DEGs were primarily involved in cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, Th1 and Th2 cell differentiation, viral protein interactions with cytokines and their receptors, and the IL-17 signaling pathway. The top 10 hub genes were selected using the cytoHubba plugin. Experimental validation confirmed that the expression levels of TBX21, CSF3, IL-6, CXCR3, and CXCL9 matched the sequencing results.

TBX21, CSF3, IL-6,CXCR3, and CXCL9 may be potential biological markers for the diagnosis and treatment the sepsis-associated intestinal mucosal barrier.