Integrated Bioinformatics and Experimental Validation of Post-Translational Modification-Related Biomarkers in...

Myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury (MIRI) lacks fully established post-translational modification (PTM)-associated biomarkers. This study aimed to identify and validate PTM-related MIRI biomarkers through integrated bioinformatics analyses and in vitro experiments. RNA-sequencing datasets were analyzed using weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA), which identified a brown module strongly associated with the MIRI phenotype. Intersection analysis was performed among the brown gene module, differentially expressed genes, and post-translational modification-related gene sets, two core candidate genes, Myc and Rnf115, were ultimately selected. Both genes demonstrated high diagnostic potential in receiver operating characteristic analyses and exhibited positive correlations with dendritic cell and macrophage infiltration, indicating roles in immune modulation. Hypoxia/reoxygenation assays using H9C2 rat cardiomyocytes confirmed the upregulation of Myc and Rnf115 during early MIRI, aligning with bioinformatics trends. Consequently, Myc and Rnf115 were identified as promising PTM-associated biomarkers potentially involved in MIRI pathogenesis.