Bioinformatics-based Exploration of the Molecular Mechanism of Autophagy-related Differentially Expressed Genes in Psoriasis and Atopic Dermatitis

Abstract

Atopic dermatitis (AD) and psoriasis are both chronic recurrent inflammatory skin diseases. However, research on AD and psoriasis co-morbidity is still in early stages and limited to clinical manifestations. In this study, we studied the role of autophagy-related genes in AD and psoriasis by used integrated bioinformatics methods. We obtained differentially expressed genes (DEGs) for psoriasis and AD by analyzing the datasets GSE14905(psoriasis) and GSE32924(atopic dermatitis). We further identified autophagy-related DEGs by intersecting above-obtained DEGs with autophagy-related genes. Then we performed Gene Ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia Genes and Genomes (KEGG) and Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA). And hub genes were identified by constructing protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks. Finally, we conducted ROC validation of hub genes and explored the correlation of hub genes with other molecules and immune cells in atopic dermatitis and psoriasis. Finally, we concluded that the 13 autophagy-related genes are involved in the pathogenesis and progression of AD and psoriasis by regulating cell cycle, cellular components eradication and drug metabolisms, and could predict the onset and severity of diseases.