ASPN is a Potential Promising Biomarker for Common Heart Failure

Abstract

Background: Heart failure (HF), the leading cause of adult mortality and morbidity worldwide, is the end-stage of various diseases, especially ischemic cardiomyopathy (ICM) and dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). This study aimed to investigate the common molecular mechanism of ICM and DCM.Methods: Four gene expression datasets, GSE1869, GSE5406, GSE57338, and GSE79962, were obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) of ICM or DCM samples compared with those of nonfailing samples were identified. Gene ontology (GO) annotation, Kyoto encyclopedia of gene and genome (KEGG) pathway analysis, and the protein-protein network (PPI) of the coregulated DEGs in at least three datasets were performed using the online tools of DAVID, the KOBAS database, and the STRING database, respectively. Hub genes of HF were analyzed for their correlation with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) in dataset GSE19303. The expression levels of notable DEGs were further validated in our tissue microarray (TMA).Results: Fifty-nine coregulated ICM and sixty-eight coregulated DCM relevant DEGs were identified (in at least three datasets). Moreover, 38 common DEGs between ICM and DCM relevant DEGs were obtained that were mainly involved in inflammatory/stress processes, proliferation, and some lipid metabolism pathways. Among the ten hub genes with top degrees, four genes showed a correlation with LVEF, and ASPN had the most significant correlation. Finally, the expression of ASPN protein was validated in our TMA and was significantly increased in ICM and DCM left ventricular samples.Conclusion: The present study revealed some common molecular mechanisms of HF with different causes. Furthermore, ASPN may be a potential promising biomarker for HF.