The following is a summary of “Exploring the role of mitochondrial-associated and peripheral neuropathy genes in the pathogenesis of diabetic peripheral neuropathy,” published in the March 2024 issue of Neurology by Bai et al.
Researchers started a retrospective study to investigate whether mitochondrial dysfunction contributes to the development of diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN).
They retrieved two RNA transcriptome datasets (designated as GSE185011 and GSE95849) from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database at the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), consisting of samples from DPN patients and HC. Following this, differential expression analysis and gene set enrichment analysis were conducted. Subsequently, protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks were constructed to identify essential hub genes associated with DPN, focusing specifically on genes related to mitochondria and peripheral neuropathy disease (PND) that exhibited differential expression. The levels of immune cell infiltration in both HC and DPN samples were assessed. To validate the results, quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) was utilized to confirm the differential expression of selected genes in the DPN samples.
The results identified four hub genes associated with mitochondria or PN. Moreover, the analysis indicated an elevated immune cell infiltration in DPN tissues, notably macrophages and T cells. Additionally, potential drug candidates capable of regulating the expression of the four hub genes were identified. The credibility of the bioinformatics analysis was reinforced by qPCR results, which confirmed the findings.
Investigators concluded that this combined bioinformatics and experimental approach deepened their understanding of DPN’s molecular and immunological features.
Source: bmcneurol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12883-024-03589-0