Identification and Regulation of Common Key Genes in COPD and AD

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a prevalent comorbidity in Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients. Despite their potential links, the shared pathology of AD and COPD is unclear. This study used bioinformatics to identify key genes involved in both diseases.

Transcriptome data of AD and COPD were obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database, and common differentially expressed genes (DEGs) of the two diseases were screened by differential expression analysis. Hub genes were identified using topological analysis algorithms in the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA), as well as the prediction of regulatory transcription factors (TFs) and microRNAs (miRNAs) were performed for these hub genes.

Thirty common DEGs were identified, with enrichment analysis linking them to neurodegeneration pathways. From the PPI network, five key genes (PDP1, SERPINI1, PPP3CA, ATP2B1, and VSNL1) were found to have significant diagnostic value (area under the curve > 0.6). GSEA revealed their functional roles, and a regulatory network suggested that TFs (e.g., ZNF76, KLF8) regulate these genes. Finally, a disease-miRNA-mRNA network was constructed, linking AD/COPD, four mRNAs, and seven miRNAs (e.g., hsa-miR-206).

This study preliminarily elucidated the cross-regulatory relationship between COPD and AD via bioinformatics, laying a theoretical foundation for investigating their comorbidity mechanism. However, all findings are based on bioinformatics analyses and require further experimental validation.

This study identified five key genes linking AD and COPD, providing insights into their shared pathogenesis and potential diagnostic biomarkers for this comorbidity.