Bioinformatics-based Mechanisms of Lipid Metabolism and Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress in Coronary Artery Disease

Lipid metabolism and endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) are crucial in coronary artery disease (CAD) pathogenesis, but the exact mechanisms remain unclear. This study aims to systematically investigate the molecular interplay between lipid metabolism and ERS in CAD.

Lipid metabolism-related genes (LRGs), ERS-related genes (ER-RGs), and the bulk RNA-seq dataset were collected related to CAD. Machine learning algorithms and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis were then integrated to identify key genes. Subsequent analyses included gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA), immune cell infiltration profiling, regulatory network construction, and drug prediction. The causal relationship between key genes and CAD was analyzed by Mendelian randomization. Finally, the mRNA expression levels of key genes in clinical samples were verified with the help of qPCR experiments.

12 candidate genes were identified by integrating LASSO, SVM-RFE, and Boruta algorithms. The ROC analysis prioritized three high-confidence diagnostic key genes (NFKB1, LPIN1, and SEC24B). Furthermore, these key genes exhibited significant associations with the CAD immune microenvironment; notably, NFKB1 demonstrated a strong positive correlation with memory-activated CD4+ T cells. Furthermore, MR analysis showed SEC24B polymorphisms conferred reduced CAD risk (OR = 0.85), consistent with its protective expression pattern. The qPCR results show significant downregulation of both LPIN1 and NFKB1 in CAD patients.

Our findings suggest that NFKB1, LPIN1, and SEC24B play pivotal roles in CAD by linking lipid metabolism with endoplasmic reticulum stress and modulating immune responses. The downregulation of NFKB1 and LPIN1 in CAD patients, together with the protective effect of SEC24B polymorphisms, highlights a complex interplay between metabolic and inflammatory pathways. These insights not only improve our understanding of CAD pathogenesis, but also point to potential molecular targets for precise therapeutic interventions.

This study elucidates the pathogenic mechanisms of L-ER RGs in CAD development, identifying NFKB1, LPIN1, and SEC24B as key molecular mediators. It not only reveals their roles in immune regulation and metabolic pathways but also provides actionable targets for precision therapeutics in CAD management.