Uncovering the shared neuro-immune-related regulatory mechanisms between spinal cord injury and osteoarthritis

Yuxin Zhang; Dahe Zhang; Xin Jiao; Xiaokun Yue; Bin Cai; Shenji Lu; Renjie Xu

Heliyon (May 2024)

Uncovering the shared neuro-immune-related regulatory mechanisms between spinal cord injury and osteoarthritis

Yuxin Zhang,
Dahe Zhang,
Xin Jiao,
Xiaokun Yue,
Bin Cai,
Shenji Lu,
Renjie Xu

Affiliations

Yuxin Zhang: Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Fengcheng branch, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200011, China; Department of Oral Surgery, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, College of Stomatology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, National Center for Stomatology, National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Shanghai, 200011, China; Shanghai Key Laboratory of Orthopedic Implants, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200011, China
Dahe Zhang: Department of Oral Surgery, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, College of Stomatology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, National Center for Stomatology, National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Shanghai, 200011, China
Xin Jiao: Shanghai Key Laboratory of Orthopedic Implants, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200011, China
Xiaokun Yue: Shanghai Key Laboratory of Orthopedic Implants, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200011, China
Bin Cai: Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Fengcheng branch, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200011, China
Shenji Lu: Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Fengcheng branch, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200011, China
Renjie Xu: Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Kunshan Rehabilitation Hospital, Suzhou 210000, Jiangsu, China; Corresponding author. Kunshan Rehabilitation Hospital, No.888 Yingbin East Road, Zhoushi, Kunshan, Suzhou, Jiangsu, 210000, China.

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 10, no. 9
p. e30336

Abstract

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Adults with spinal cord injury (SCI), a destructive neurological injury, have a significantly higher incidence of osteoarthritis (OA), a highly prevalent chronic joint disorder. This study aimed to dissect the neuroimmune-related regulatory mechanisms of SCI and OA using bioinformatics analysis. Using microarray data from the Gene Expression Omnibus database, differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were screened between SCI and sham samples and between OA and control samples. Common DEGs were used to construct a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) was used to mine SCI- and OA-related modules. Shared miRNAs were identified, and target genes were predicted using the Human MicroRNA Disease Database (HMDD) database. A miRNA-gene-pathway regulatory network was constructed with overlapping genes, miRNAs, and significantly enriched pathways. Finally, the expression of the identified genes and miRNAs was verified using RT-qPCR. In both the SCI and OA groups, 185 common DEGs were identified, and three hub clusters were obtained from the PPI network. WGCNA revealed three SCI-related modules and two OA-related modules. There were 43 overlapping genes between the PPI network clusters and the WGCNA network modules. Seventeen miRNAs shared between patients with SCI and OA were identified. A regulatory network consisting of five genes, six miRNAs, and six signaling pathways was constructed. Upregulation of CD44, TGFBR1, CCR5, and IGF1, while lower levels of miR-125b-5p, miR-130a-3p, miR-16-5p, miR-204-5p, and miR-204-3p in both SCI and OA were successfully verified using RT-qPCR. Our study suggests that a miRNA-gene-pathway network is implicated in the neuroimmune-related regulatory mechanisms of SCI and OA. CD44, TGFBR1, CCR5, and IGF1, and their related miRNAs (miR-125b-5p, miR-130a-3p, miR-16-5p, miR-204-5p, and miR-204-3p) may serve as promising biomarkers and candidate therapeutic targets for SCI and OA.

Published in Heliyon

ISSN: 2405-8440 (Online)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: United Kingdom
LCC subjects: Science: Science (General); Social Sciences: Social sciences (General)
Website: https://www.cell.com/heliyon/home

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