Identifying Six Chromatin Remodeling-related Genes As Diagnostic Biomarkers in Sepsis Using Bioinformatic Analyses

Abstract Epigenetic modifications like chromatin remodeling play a vital role in regulating sepsis immunity. Understanding the role of chromatin remodeling in sepsis can help identify new potential therapeutic targets. Differentially expressed chromatin remodeling-related genes (DE-CRRGs) were identified between the sepsis and normal groups in GSE65682. LASSO regression, SVM, and random forest algorithms were employed to screen out six hub genes. The abundance of different immune cells in the two groups was determined using CIBERSORT. ceRNA regulatory and co-expression networks of the hub genes were constructed. Finally, using the Drug Gene Interaction Database to predict potential drugs for sepsis. Seventeen DE-CRRGs were identified, from which six hub genes were screened out: SPON 2, TGM 2, MMP 9, DNMT 1, LY 96, and FOXO 1. The infiltration of 16 types of immune cells differed significantly between the two groups. The hub genes were significantly correlated with activated NK cells, CD8 T cells, and plasma cells. Genes in the ceRNA regulatory and co-expression networks were mainly involved in interleukin-18 signaling, response to biological stimuli, positive regulation of cell development, etc. Finally, sixty-two drugs were predicted.