Luo Mingran, Wang Qian, Chen Jian, Yin Guoyong
Department of Orthopedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
Front Med (Lausanne). 2025 Apr 9;12:1544719. doi: 10.3389/fmed.2025.1544719. eCollection 2025.
Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a destructive neurological and pathological state that causes major motor, sensory, and autonomic dysfunction. N6-methyladenosine (m6A) is a reversible RNA modification implicated in various biological processes. However, few studies have examined m6A expression in patients with SCI. We explored the prognostic value of m6A-related genes as potential biomarkers in SCI to establish a set of accurate diagnostic and prognostic prediction models.
Differentially expressed analysis and weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) was used to explore m6a related modules and hub genes. KEGG and GO analyses was utilized to explore the potential role of these hub genes. Gene expression was verified in single-cell data. The correlation of m6A related gene with spinal cord injury severity was explored.
We found 289 SCI-related and five m6A-related candidate genes with high SCI correlation and high differential expression in the publicly available dataset, GSE151371. These genes are also involved in long-chain fatty acid binding. Early SCI was accompanied by significant immune cell infiltration. Simultaneously, infiltrating immune cells and the innate immune system have a strong cellular interaction, which gradually decreases over time. The number of PPARG-positive cells also increases after SCI. The comparatively higher expression of PPARG and lower expression of AK5 in white blood cells (WBCs) correlates with severity of SCI.
Our integrated analysis illustrates the hub genes involved in SCI, which can be prognostic markers. Further understanding of the functions of the identified SCI hub genes may provide deeper insights into the molecular mechanisms of SCI.
脊髓损伤（SCI）是一种具有破坏性的神经病理状态，会导致严重的运动、感觉和自主神经功能障碍。N6-甲基腺苷（m6A）是一种可逆的RNA修饰，参与多种生物学过程。然而，很少有研究检测脊髓损伤患者的m6A表达情况。我们探讨了m6A相关基因作为脊髓损伤潜在生物标志物的预后价值，以建立一套准确的诊断和预后预测模型。
采用差异表达分析和加权基因共表达网络分析（WGCNA）来探索与m6A相关的模块和枢纽基因。利用KEGG和GO分析来探索这些枢纽基因的潜在作用。在单细胞数据中验证基因表达。探讨m6A相关基因与脊髓损伤严重程度的相关性。
我们在公开可用的数据集GSE151371中发现了289个与脊髓损伤相关且与m6A相关的候选基因，这些基因具有高脊髓损伤相关性和高差异表达。这些基因还参与长链脂肪酸结合。早期脊髓损伤伴有显著的免疫细胞浸润。同时，浸润的免疫细胞与固有免疫系统有强烈的细胞相互作用，这种相互作用会随着时间逐渐减弱。脊髓损伤后PPARG阳性细胞数量也会增加。白细胞（WBC）中PPARG相对较高的表达和AK5相对较低的表达与脊髓损伤的严重程度相关。
我们的综合分析阐明了参与脊髓损伤的枢纽基因，这些基因可作为预后标志物。进一步了解已确定的脊髓损伤枢纽基因的功能可能会为脊髓损伤的分子机制提供更深入的见解。
