Construction of a Competitive Endogenous RNA Network Associated with Angiogenesis in Ischemic Stroke Using a Bioinformatics Approach

Abstract

Ischemic stroke (IS) is one of the leading causes of death and disability worldwide, and angiogenesis is an important target for its treatment. However, the mechanism of angiogenesis of endogenous RNA (ceRNA) in IS remains poorly understood. This study aims to explore the role of ceRNA in the angiogenesis of IS, to provide a possible target for the treatment of IS. First, GSE22255 (mRNA), GSE55937 (miRNA) and GSE102541 (lncRNA) were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Then, a total of 21 mRNA modules were identified by WGCNA analysis, among which NR4A1, PTGS2, ERG3, and VEGFA in cyan module were identified as key genes for angiogenesis. Subsequently, 1454 differentially expressed lncRNAs (DELs) were screened and a lncRNA-mRNA co-expression network consisting of 40 lncRNAs and 4 mRNAs was constructed by correlation analysis. Then, 16 differentially expressed miRNAs (DEMs) were screened and the online database was used to predict the interaction information between miRNAs, lncRNAs and mRNAs. The angiogenesis-related ceRNA network was finally constructed based on ceRNA theory, in which 1 DEL was predicted as a ceRNA for 2 DEMs to regulate 4 hub genes, specifically, HCG18-has-let-7i-5p-NR4A1/PTGS2/ERG3, HCG18-miR-148a-3p-PTGS2/ERG3/VEGFA interaction axis. The results of gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) suggest that HCG18 may regulate angiogenesis through NF-kB-TNFA signaling pathway, hypoxia and other pathways. In conclusion, the above genes may be new biomarkers and potential targets for the treatment of IS.