Methylome and transcriptome analyses reveal HLA-DMB's contribution to periodontitis development

Area of Science:

• Immunology
• Genetics
• Oral Biology

Background:

• Periodontitis is a prevalent oral disease impacting periodontal tissues.
• Polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) play a critical role in the immune response to infection and inflammation in periodontitis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify genes associated with periodontitis in PMNs.
• To explore the diagnostic potential of identified genes in periodontitis.

Main Methods:

• Integrated analysis of DNA methylation and transcriptome profiles from public databases (GSE173082, GSE10334, GSE43525, GSE16134).
• Differential expression and methylation analysis to identify candidate genes.
• Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis for diagnostic value assessment.
• Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) for pathway identification.
• CIBERSORT for immune cell infiltration analysis.
• RT-qPCR and western blotting for validation in clinical samples.

Main Results:

• Six candidate genes (GRASP, HLA-DMB, HLA-DMA, CAB39, NCOA2, TLE4) were identified in periodontitis PMNs.
• HLA-DMB showed the highest correlation with DNMT3B and significantly higher expression in periodontitis tissues.
• Enriched immune-related pathways and differential immune cell infiltration were observed in high HLA-DMB expression samples.
• HLA-DMB demonstrated diagnostic value for periodontitis (AUC=0.777-0.783).

Conclusions:

• Elevated HLA-DMB expression in PMNs is associated with periodontitis development.
• HLA-DMB serves as a potential diagnostic biomarker for periodontitis.