Revealing differentially expressed genes between hypertrophic scars and normal skin tissues by bioinformatic analysis

Existing research lacks a systematic investigation of the complete gene expression profile in hypertrophic scars (HS). This study aimed to systematically explore the differences in mRNA expression profiles between human HS and normal skin tissues using bioinformatics analysis methods.

GSE236983 and GSE229848 were downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) to screen differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed using STRING (search tool for recurring instances of neighboring genes), followed by gene ontology (GO) enrichment analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis of the DEGs. Three surgical samples of HSs and adjacent normal skin tissues were selected from 3 HS patients for comparative analysis of DEGs.

Venn diagram of two datasets showed an intersection, revealing 31 DEGs. GO enrichment results unveiled that DEGs were mainly involved in keratinization, keratinization cell differentiation, epidermal cell differentiation (ECD), and skin development. Cellular components (CCs) were mainly enriched in cell desmosomes, intermediate filament cytoskeleton (IFC), keratin filament (KF), and intermediate filament (IF). KEGG analysis signified that the main involved pathways encompassed tight junctions, extracellular matrix-receptor interaction, arachidonic acid metabolism, and terpenoid backbone biosynthesis. mRNA levels of 10 core genes (MVD, ACAT2, HMGCS1, HMGCR, FASN, MSMO1, DHCR7, DHCR24, and AACS) in HS and normal skin tissues were different (P < 0.05), with MVK showing non-significant differences (P > 0.05).

this study identified ten core DEGs associated with HS through systematic bioinformatics analysis. These genes are involved in biological processes and cellular components such as keratinization, cell differentiation, lipid metabolism, cholesterol biosynthesis, and cell adhesion.