Background
Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a prevalent condition with diverse etiologies, including viral infection, autoimmune response, and genetic factors. Despite the crucial role of energy metabolism in cardiac function, therapeutic targets for key genes in DCM’s energy metabolism remain scarce.
Methods
Our study employed the GSE79962 and GSE42955 datasets from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database for myocardial tissue sample collection and target gene identification via differential gene expression screening. Using various R packages, GSEA software, and the STRING database, we conducted data analysis, gene set enrichment, and protein-protein interaction predictions. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) and Support Vector Machine (SVM) algorithms aided in feature gene selection, while the predictive model’s efficiency was evaluated via the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. We used the non-negative matrix factorization (NMF) method for molecular typing and the cell-type identification by estimating relative subsets of RNA transcripts (CIBERSORT) algorithm for predicting immune cell infiltration.
Results
The
DLAT
and
LDHA
genes may regulate the immune microenvironment of DCM by influencing activated dendritic cells, activated mast cells, and M0 macrophages, respectively. The
BPGM, DLAT, PGM2, ADH1A, ADH1C, LDHA
, and
PFKM
genes may regulate m6A methylation in DCM by affecting the
ZC3H13, ALKBH5, RBMX, HNRNPC, METTL3
, and
YTHDC1
genes. Further regulatory mechanism analysis suggested that
PFKM, DLAT, PKLR, PGM2, LDHA, BPGM, ADH1A
, and
ADH1C
could be involved in the development of cardiomyopathy by regulating the Toll-like receptor signaling pathway.
Conclusions
PFKM, DLAT, PKLR, PGM2, LDHA, BPGM, ADH1A
, and
ADH1C
may serve as potential targets for guiding the diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up of DCM.