Differential genetic expression in the tunica albuginea tissue of patients with Peyronie's disease

Peyronie's disease is characterized by penile curvature, sexual dysfunction, and pain with sexual activity, and its pathogenesis is thought to involve several molecular mechanisms.

The aim of the present study was to identify differential gene expression in the tunica albuginea (TA) tissue and corpora cavernosa (CC) tissue of a group of patients with Peyronie's Disease relative to a control group of patients with erectile dysfunction.

Tissue from the TA and CC was collected from patients at the time of surgery. RNA sequencing analysis was performed on total RNA isolated from penile tissue. Gene ontology analyses were then performed to identify which molecular and biologic processes were associated with the differentially expressed genes. Clinical demographic factors were also collected from chart review of patients.

Analysis revealed a distinct gene expression profile in the TA of Peyronie's patients.

A total of 58 patients were included in the study; 57 had CC for RNA isolation and 30 had TA for RNA isolation. Among those with tunica, 15 had Peyronie's and 15 did not. This analysis identified 22 significantly differentially expressed genes between the groups. Bioinformatics analyses revealed that differentially expressed genes were implicated in immune and apoptotic processes. For the corpora population only two genes were found to be differentially expressed.

Further understanding of the genes implicated in Peyronie's could lead to additional treatments targeted at the prevention and progression of this disease.

This study uses next-generation RNA sequencing to analyze whole-gene expression in a relatively large cohort, identifying novel genes involved in Peyronie's disease pathogenesis. Limitations include the use of formalin-fixed tissue and potential confounding due to differences in erectile function between Peyronie's and control groups.

Distinct genes were differentially expressed in the TA tissue of patients with Peyronie's disease when compared with controls and were largely implicated in immune and apoptotic processes.