Li Xianbin, Zhang Xueli, Liu Tao, Zhang Guodao, Chen Dan, Lin Suxian
School of Computer and Big Data Science, Jiujiang University, Jiujiang, China.
Department of Digital Media Technology, Hangzhou Dianzi University, Hangzhou, China.
Front Med (Lausanne). 2025 Mar 17;12:1520400. doi: 10.3389/fmed.2025.1520400. eCollection 2025.
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disorder intricately liked with inflammation. Cuproptosis, an emerging type of cell death, has been implicated in the initiation and development of RA. However, the exact alterations in the expression and biological function of cuproptosis-related genes (CRGs) in RA remain poorly understood. Therefore, our study aims to elucidate the potential association between CRGs and RA, with the goal of identifying novel biomarkers for the treatment and prognosis of RA.
In this study, we identified ten differentially expressed cuproptosis-related genes (DE-CRGs) between patients with RA and controls. Through comprehensive functional enrichment and protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis, we explored the functional roles of the DE-CRGs. Additionally, we investigated the correlation between DE-CRGs and immune infiltration, immune factors, diagnostic efficacy, and potential therapeutic drugs.
Leveraging single-cell RNA sequencing data, we conducted a detailed analysis to elucidate alterations in various cell clusters associated with RA. Our study unveiled a significant association between DE-CRGs and diverse biological functions, as well as potential drug candidates.
These findings provide crucial insights into the involvement of DE-CRGs in the pathogenesis of RA and shed light on potential therapeutic strategies.
类风湿性关节炎（RA）是一种与炎症密切相关的慢性自身免疫性疾病。铜死亡是一种新出现的细胞死亡类型，与RA的发生和发展有关。然而，RA中铜死亡相关基因（CRGs）表达和生物学功能的确切变化仍知之甚少。因此，我们的研究旨在阐明CRGs与RA之间的潜在关联，以确定RA治疗和预后的新生物标志物。
在本研究中，我们鉴定了RA患者和对照组之间十个差异表达的铜死亡相关基因（DE-CRGs）。通过全面的功能富集和蛋白质-蛋白质相互作用（PPI）网络分析，我们探讨了DE-CRGs的功能作用。此外，我们还研究了DE-CRGs与免疫浸润、免疫因子、诊断效能和潜在治疗药物之间的相关性。
利用单细胞RNA测序数据，我们进行了详细分析，以阐明与RA相关的各种细胞簇的变化。我们的研究揭示了DE-CRGs与多种生物学功能以及潜在药物候选物之间的显著关联。
这些发现为DE-CRGs参与RA发病机制提供了关键见解，并为潜在的治疗策略提供了线索。
