Identification of and as novel diagnostic biomarkers for latent tuberculosis infection using machine learning strategies and experimental verification.

BACKGROUND

Current diagnostic methods cannot effectively distinguish between latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) and active tuberculosis (ATB). This study aims to explore novel non-invasive diagnostic biomarkers for LTBI and to elucidate possible molecular mechanisms of LTBI pathogenesis.

METHODS

Three GEO datasets (GSE19439, GSE19444, and GSE62525) were utilized to analyze the differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Functional enrichment studies were then performed on these DEGs. To ascertain potential diagnostic biomarkers, we utilized two different machine learning techniques: LASSO and RF. ROC curves were constructed in both the training and validation datasets to assess the diagnostic efficacy. The expression of identified biomarkers was verified by RT-qPCR in our own Chinese cohort. Using CIBERSORT, we estimated the abundances of 22 immune cell types in LTBI group, and subsequently analyzed the relationship between biomarker expression and immune cell infiltration.

RESULTS

166 DEGs were identified between ATB and LTBI groups, which are primarily associated with immune responses, inflammatory signaling pathways, and infection factors. Following that, 22 candidate diagnostic biomarkers for LTBI were selected in the machine learning process. Three up-regulated genes, , , and , whose expression levels were not previously reported in TB, were validated using the training and validation cohort datasets. In our own Chinese cohort, we also found that and showed good diagnostic effect using RT-qPCR method. Finally, we revealed the specific infiltration features of immune cells in LTBI and observed a notable correlation between potential marker expression and immune cells.

CONCLUSIONS

and emerged as candidate diagnostic biomarkers for LTBI, following the elucidation of the key immune cell types involved. Our findings will contribute to providing a potential target for early noninvasive diagnosis of LTBI patients.