Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, China.
Spine and Osteopathy Ward, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, China.
J Immunol Res. 2020 Dec 24;2020:4121524. doi: 10.1155/2020/4121524. eCollection 2020.
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by symmetrical peripheral polyarthritis. A large number of studies have shown that RA is characterized by gender differences in clinical manifestations. The purpose of this study is to identify the key molecules of gender differences in patients with RA and to provide new molecular targets for personalized therapy. . The data from GSE55457 were downloaded from the comprehensive gene expression comprehensive database, and two groups (RA vs. No-RA groups, Male-RA vs. Female-RA groups) of differentially expressed genes (EDGs) were obtained by GEO2R. The GO function and KEGG pathway analyses of DEGs were carried out through the plug-in ClueGO in Cytoscape. Based on the STRING online, a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed. Hub genes were selected from CytoHubba. Through the intersection of the top 10 hub genes in two sets of EDGs, the key genes and related KEGG pathways were found. Quantitative Real-Time PCR and Western blotting analysis were performed for verification.
1230 DEGs were screened between RA and No-RA groups, and 306 DEGs were screened between male and female RA groups. The common key gene of the two groups is IL-4. Between RA group and No-RA group, interleukin-4 (IL-4) participates in cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, Th1 and Th2 cell differentiation, Th17 cell differentiation, T cell receptor signaling pathway, etc.
This study contributes to the molecular biological mechanism of gender differences in RA. IL-4 may have played an important role.
类风湿关节炎（RA）是一种以对称性外周多关节炎为特征的慢性炎症性疾病。大量研究表明，RA 在临床表现上存在性别差异。本研究旨在鉴定 RA 患者性别差异的关键分子，为个性化治疗提供新的分子靶点。从综合基因表达综合数据库中下载 GSE55457 数据，通过 GEO2R 获得两组差异表达基因（EDGs）：RA 与非 RA 组、男性 RA 与女性 RA 组。通过 Cytoscape 中的插件 ClueGO 对 DEGs 进行 GO 功能和 KEGG 通路分析。基于 STRING 在线构建蛋白质-蛋白质相互作用（PPI）网络。从 CytoHubba 中选择 hub 基因。通过两组 EDGs 中前 10 个 hub 基因的交集，找到关键基因和相关 KEGG 通路。通过定量实时 PCR 和 Western blot 分析进行验证。
在 RA 与非 RA 组之间筛选出 1230 个 DEGs，在男性和女性 RA 组之间筛选出 306 个 DEGs。两组的共同关键基因是 IL-4。在 RA 组和非 RA 组之间，白细胞介素 4（IL-4）参与细胞因子-细胞因子受体相互作用、Th1 和 Th2 细胞分化、Th17 细胞分化、T 细胞受体信号通路等。
本研究有助于阐明 RA 性别差异的分子生物学机制。IL-4 可能发挥了重要作用。
