In silico analysis of hub genes expressed in the renal tubulointerstitium of immunoglobulin A nephropathy

Abstract Background: IgA nephropathy (IgAN) is an autoimmune disease and common cause of chronic renal failure worldwide, but its etiology has not been fully elucidated. Tubulointerstitial fibrosis/atrophy is the most reliable histological marker associated with poor outcome of IgAN. However, few studies have focused on gene expression in the renal tubulointerstitium of IgAN.Methods: A systemic search of gene expression among the renal tubulointerstitium in Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) datasets was performed, and eligible datasets were integrated to investigate the significant genes associated with IgAN. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and significant gene modules of weighted gene coexpression network analysis (WGCNA) were identified, and enrichment analysis using the Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) databases was performed for interpretation of these genes.Results: Three datasets named GSE32591, GSE35489 and GSE37463 were selected for analysis of the relationships between gene expression in the renal tubulointerstitium and IgAN. Ten genes named ALB, FN1, CCL2, DUSP1, MMP7, JUNB, CTGF, TIMP3, NEU1 and HLA-E were identified as hub genes from DEGs and the significant gene module of WGCNA. Most of these genes have been related to the significant relationships of prognosis of IgAN in previous studies, but many interactions between these genes were unclear.Conclusion: Our study provided a cluster of hub genes significantly expressed in renal tubulointerstitial IgAN that may be novel treatment targets of IgAN.