The role of integrins in atherosclerosis complicated with abdominal aortic aneurysm: A bioinformatics study

Abstract

Background Increasingly, the shared risk factors and pathological processes of atherosclerosis and abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) are being recognized. However, the exact mechanism underlying the shared pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and AAA formation remains unclear. Methods The aim of our study was to identify the hub genes involved in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and AAA. Our analysis was based on two gene expression profiles for atherosclerosis (GSE28829) and AAA (GSE7084), downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Common differential genes were identified and an enrichment analysis of differential genes was conducted, with construction of protein-protein interaction networks, and identification of common hub genes and predicted transcription factors. Results The analysis identified 133 differentially expressed genes (116 upregulated and 17 downregulated), with the enrichment analysis identifying a potential important role of integrins and chemokines in the common immune and inflammatory responses of atherosclerosis and AAA. Regulation of the complement and coagulation cascades and regulation of the actin cytoskeleton were associated with both diseases, with 10 important hub genes identified: TYROBP, PTPRC, ITGB2, ITGAM, PLEK, CTSS, LY86, ITGAX, CCL4, and FCER1G. Conclusions Findings identified a common pathogenetic pathway between atherosclerosis and AAA, with integrin-related genes playing a significant role in both diseases. The common pathways and hub genes identified provide new insights into the shared mechanisms of these two diseases and can contribute to identifying new therapeutic targets and predicting the therapeutic effect of biological agents.