Disrupted pathways associated with neonatal sepsis: Combination of protein-protein interactions and pathway data

To identify disrupted pathways associated with neonatal sepsis, we performed a research based on the combination of protein-protein interactions (PPIs) and pathway data. Firstly, a total of 23,292 genes, 787,896 PPIs and 1,675 human pathways were obtained, respectively. Then, under the threshold value of false discovery rate (FDR)<0.05 and a delta cut-off value >4.36, a total of 986 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified. In the following, by degree centrality for the objective PPI network, 20 hub genes were obtained. Finally, pathway enrichment analysis and randomization tests indicated that pathways of gene expression, immune system and innate immune system were with remarkable significance in neonatal sepsis. Therefore, in the present study, we presented a novel pathway method, and we successfully identified several pathways in neonatal sepsis, which might be underlying indicators in the detection and treatment of neonatal sepsis.