• Genomics & Informatics
• /
• 제21권4호
• /
• pp.45.1-45.11
• /
• 2023

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a common type of chronic liver disease, with severity levels ranging from nonalcoholic fatty liver to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). The extent of liver fibrosis indicates the severity of NASH and the risk of liver cancer. However, the mechanism underlying NASH development, which is important for early screening and intervention, remains unclear. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) is a useful method for identifying hub genes and screening specific targets for diseases. In this study, we utilized an mRNA dataset of the liver tissues of patients with NASH and conducted WGCNA for various stages of liver fibrosis. Subsequently, we employed two additional mRNA datasets for validation purposes. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was conducted to analyze gene function enrichment. Through WGCNA and subsequent analyses, complemented by validation using two additional datasets, we identified five genes (BICC1, C7, EFEMP1, LUM, and STMN2) as hub genes. GSEA analysis indicated that gene sets associated with liver metabolism and cholesterol homeostasis were uniformly downregulated. BICC1, C7, EFEMP1, LUM, and STMN2 were identified as hub genes of NASH, and were all related to liver metabolism, NAFLD, NASH, and related diseases. These hub genes might serve as potential targets for the early screening and treatment of NASH.

• Reproductive and Developmental Biology
• /
• 제37권4호
• /
• pp.185-192
• /
• 2013

Many countries have implemented genetic evaluation for fertility traits in recent years. In particular, reproductive trait is a complex trait and need to require a system-level approach for identifying candidate genes related to the trait. To find the candidate gene associated with reproductive trait, we applied a weighted gene co-expression network analysis from expression value of bovine genes. We identified three co-expressed modules associated with reproductive trait from bovine microarray data. Hub genes (ZP4, FHL2 and EGR4) were determined in each module; they were topologically centered with statistically significant value in the gene co-expression network. We were able to find the highly co-expressed gene pairs with a correlation coefficient. Finally, the crucial functions of co-expressed modules were reported from functional enrichment analysis. We suggest that the network-based approach in livestock may an important method for analyzing the complex effects of candidate genes associated with economic traits like reproduction.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• 제26권1호
• /
• pp.19-29
• /
• 2013

Marbling (intramuscular fat) is an important trait that affects meat quality and is a casual factor determining the price of beef in the Korean beef market. It is a complex trait and has many biological pathways related to muscle and fat. There is a need to identify functional modules or genes related to marbling traits and investigate their relationships through a weighted gene co-expression network analysis based on the system level. Therefore, we investigated the co-expression relationships of genes related to the 'marbling score' trait and systemically analyzed the network topology in Hanwoo (Korean cattle). As a result, we determined 3 modules (gene groups) that showed statistically significant results for marbling score. In particular, one module (denoted as red) has a statistically significant result for marbling score (p = 0.008) and intramuscular fat (p = 0.02) and water capacity (p = 0.006). From functional enrichment and relationship analysis of the red module, the pathway hub genes (IL6, CHRNE, RB1, INHBA and NPPA) have a direct interaction relationship and share the biological functions related to fat or muscle, such as adipogenesis or muscle growth. This is the first gene network study with m.logissimus in Hanwoo to observe co-expression patterns in divergent marbling phenotypes. It may provide insights into the functional mechanisms of the marbling trait.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• 제13권9호
• /
• pp.4607-4611
• /
• 2012

Objective: Endometrial cancer (EC) is the most common gynecologic malignancy. Identification of potential biomarkers of EC would be helpful for the detection and monitoring of malignancy, improving clinical outcomes. Methods: The Weighted Gene Co-expression Network Analysis method was used to identify prognostic markers for EC in this study. Moreover, underlying molecular mechanisms were characterized by KEGG pathway enrichment and transcriptional regulation analyses. Results: Seven gene co-expression modules were obtained, but only the turquoise module was positively related with EC stage. Among the genes in the turquoise module, COL5A2 (collagen, type V, alpha 2) could be regulated by PBX (pre-B-cell leukemia homeobox 1)1/2 and HOXB1(homeobox B1) transcription factors to be involved in the focal adhesion pathway; CENP-E (centromere protein E, 312kDa) by E2F4 (E2F transcription factor 4, p107/p130-binding); MYCN (v-myc myelocytomatosis viral related oncogene, neuroblastoma derived [avian]) by PAX5 (paired box 5); and BCL-2 (B-cell CLL/lymphoma 2) and IGFBP-6 (insulin-like growth factor binding protein 6) by GLI1. They were predicted to be associated with EC progression via Hedgehog signaling and other cancer related-pathways. Conclusions: These data on transcriptional regulation may provide a better understanding of molecular mechanisms and clues to potential therapeutic targets in the treatment of EC.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• 제34권5호
• /
• pp.1164-1177
• /
• 2024

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is among the most common malignant tumors of the digestive tract, with the sixth highest fatality rate worldwide. The ESCC-related dataset, GSE20347, was downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database, and weighted gene co-expression network analysis was performed to identify genes that are highly correlated with ESCC. A total of 91 transcriptome expression profiles and their corresponding clinical information were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas database. A mitochondria-associated risk (MAR) model was constructed using the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator Cox regression analysis and validated using GSE161533. The tumor microenvironment and drug sensitivity were explored using the MAR model. Finally, in vitro experiments were performed to analyze the effects of hub genes on the proliferation and invasion abilities of ESCC cells. To confirm the predictive ability of the MAR model, we constructed a prognostic model and assessed its predictive accuracy. The MAR model revealed substantial differences in immune infiltration and tumor microenvironment characteristics between high- and low-risk populations and a substantial correlation between the risk scores and some common immunological checkpoints. AZD1332 and AZD7762 were more effective for patients in the low-risk group, whereas Entinostat, Nilotinib, Ruxolutinib, and Wnt.c59 were more effective for patients in the high-risk group. Knockdown of TYMS significantly inhibited the proliferation and invasive ability of ESCC cells in vitro. Overall, our MAR model provides stable and reliable results and may be used as a prognostic biomarker for personalized treatment of patients with ESCC.

• Genomics & Informatics
• /
• 제20권3호
• /
• pp.26.1-26.19
• /
• 2022

Diabetes and its related complications are associated with long term damage and failure of various organ systems. The microvascular complications of diabetes considered in this study are diabetic retinopathy, diabetic neuropathy, and diabetic nephropathy. The aim is to identify the weighted co-expressed and differentially expressed genes (DEGs), major pathways, and their miRNA, transcription factors (TFs) and drugs interacting in all the three conditions. The primary goal is to identify vital DEGs in all the three conditions. The overlapped five genes (AKT1, NFKB1, MAPK3, PDPK1, and TNF) from the DEGs and the co-expressed genes were defined as key genes, which differentially expressed in all the three cases. Then the protein-protein interaction network and gene set linkage analysis (GSLA) of key genes was performed. GSLA, gene ontology, and pathway enrichment analysis of the key genes elucidates nine major pathways in diabetes. Subsequently, we constructed the miRNA-gene and transcription factor-gene regulatory network of the five gene of interest in the nine major pathways were studied. hsa-mir-34a-5p, a major miRNA that interacted with all the five genes. RELA, FOXO3, PDX1, and SREBF1 were the TFs interacting with the major five gene of interest. Finally, drug-gene interaction network elucidates five potential drugs to treat the genes of interest. This research reveals biomarker genes, miRNA, TFs, and therapeutic drugs in the key signaling pathways, which may help us, understand the processes of all three secondary microvascular problems and aid in disease detection and management.

• Animal Bioscience
• /
• 제35권6호
• /
• pp.814-825
• /
• 2022

Objective: This study was conducted to identify the functional long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) for swine lactation by RNA-seq data of mammary gland. Methods: According to the RNA-seq data of swine mammary gland, we screened lncRNAs, performed differential expression analysis, and confirmed the functional lncRNAs for swine lactation by validation of genome wide association study (GWAS) signals, functional annotation and weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA). Results: We totally identified 286 differentially expressed (DE) lncRNAs in mammary gland at different stages from 14 days prior to (-) parturition to day 1 after (+) parturition, and the expressions of most of lncRNAs were strongly changed from day -2 to day +1. Further, the GWAS signals of sow milk ability trait were significantly enriched in DE lncRNAs. Functional annotation revealed that these DE lncRNAs were mainly involved in mammary gland and lactation developing, milk composition metabolism and colostrum function. By performing weighted WGCNA, we identified 7 out of 12 lncRNA-mRNA modules that were highly associated with the mammary gland at day -14, day -2, and day +1, in which, 35 lncRNAs and 319 mRNAs were involved. Conclusion: This study suggested that 18 lncRNAs and their 20 target genes were promising candidates for swine parturition and colostrum occurrence processes. Our research provided new insights into lncRNA profiles and their regulating mechanisms from colostrogenesis to lactogenesis in swine.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
• /
• 제37권2호
• /
• pp.128-135
• /
• 2020

Background: Classical acupuncture is being used in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). To explore the biological response to acupuncture, a network-based analysis was performed on gene expression data collected from an animal model of RA treated with acupuncture. Methods: Gene expression data were obtained from published microarray studies on blood samples from rats with collagen induced arthritis (CIA) and non-CIA rats, both treated with manual acupuncture. The weighted gene co-expression network analysis was performed to identify gene clusters expressed in association with acupuncture treatment time and RA status. Gene ontology and pathway analyses were applied for functional annotation and network visualization. Results: A cluster of 347 genes were identified that differentially downregulated expression in association with acupuncture treatment over time; specifically in rats with CIA with module-RA correlation at 1 hour after acupuncture (-0.27; p < 0.001) and at 34 days after acupuncture (-0.33; p < 0.001). Functional annotation showed highly significant enrichment of porphyrin-containing compound biosynthetic processes (p < 0.001). The network-based analysis also identified a module of 140 genes differentially expressed between CIA and non-CIA in rats (p < 0.001). This cluster of genes was enriched for antigen processing and presentation of exogenous peptide antigen (p < 0.001). Other functional gene clusters previously reported in earlier studies were also observed. Conclusion: The identified gene expression networks and their hub-genes could help with the understanding of mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of RA, as well understanding the effects of acupuncture treatment of RA.

• 생명과학회지
• /
• 제26권8호
• /
• pp.904-910
• /
• 2016

가축의 경제형질은 대부분 복합형질 상태이며, 많은 유전자와 생물대사회로에 의해 조절된다. 시스템 생물학은 생명현상을 하나의 복합체로 가정하고, 형질에 관여하는 유전자들에 대한 기능적 관계를 분석하는 학문이다. 유전자 네트워크는 시스템 생물학의 하나의 연구분야로써, 유전자 기능의 상관관계를 지도화하여 오믹스 데이터를 통합 분석하여 해석한다. 유전자 네트워크는 단백질-단백질 상호작용, 공발현, 조절인자, 유전자형 기반으로 다양한 유전자의 기능적 상호작용을 표현할 수 있다. 또한, 네트워크를 구성하기 위해서는 유전자 간 연결 정도에 가중치를 두거나, 인접한 유전자 수 계산 등의 네트워크 토폴로지 알고리즘이 적용된다. 가축에서는 이러한 연구가 단형질에 대한 유전자 발현, 단백질 상호작용 등에 국한되어 있는 실정이다. 본 논문에서는 유전자 공발현 네트워크와 단백질-단백질 상호작용 네트워크 분석법을 확립하고 소의 102개 경제형질에 대하여 유전자 네트워크 분석 결과에 대한 데이터베이스를 구축하였다. 102개의 경제형질은 Animal Trait Ontology (ATO) 명명법에 의하여 분류하여 제공하였다. 각 형질에 포함된 유전자 리스트는 Animal QTL database에서 제공하는 양적유전형질좌위의 물리적 위치에 존재하는 유전자군을 추출하였다. 유전자 공발현 네트워크는 R의 WGCNA 패키지를 활용하였으며, 단백질-단백질 상호작용 네트워크는 Human Protein Reference Database에서 사람과 소의 orthologous group에 포함된 유전자를 대상으로 단백질 상호작용 관계를 규명하였다. 네트워크 분석 결과는 관계형 테이블로 구축하였으며, 구축한 데이터베이스를 관련 연구진에게 공유하기 위하여 웹 기반의 유전자 네트워크 가시화 시스템을 구현하였다(http://www.nabc.go.kr/cg). 웹 데이터베이스 구현을 위하여 Ontle 프로그램을 활용하여 다양한 방식으로 유전자 네트워크 가시화 작업을 수행하였다. 이 시스템을 통하여 사용자는 관련 형질의 후보 유전자군 탐색, 유전자 네트워크 분석 결과, 유전자 사이의 기능적 연결관계를 손쉽게 살펴볼 수 있게 될 것이다.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
• /
• 제58권5호
• /
• pp.513-525
• /
• 2020

Clonorchis sinensis is a food-borne trematode that infects more than 15 million people. The liver fluke causes clonorchiasis and chronical cholangitis, and promotes cholangiocarcinoma. The underlying molecular pathogenesis occurring in the bile duct by the infection is little known. In this study, transcriptome profile in the bile ducts infected with C. sinensis were analyzed using microarray methods. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were 1,563 and 1,457 at 2 and 4 weeks after infection. Majority of the DEGs were temporally dysregulated at 2 weeks, but 519 DEGs showed monotonically changing expression patterns that formed seven distinct expression profiles. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) analysis of the DEG products revealed 5 sub-networks and 10 key hub proteins while weighted co-expression network analysis (WGCNA)-derived gene-gene interaction exhibited 16 co-expression modules and 13 key hub genes. The DEGs were significantly enriched in 16 Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathways, which were related to original systems, cellular process, environmental information processing, and human diseases. This study uncovered a global picture of gene expression profiles in the bile ducts infected with C. sinensis, and provided a set of potent predictive biomarkers for early diagnosis of clonorchiasis.