兰州大学循证社会科学交叉创新实验室 Innovation Laboratory of Evidence-based Social Sciences,Lanzhou University

Comprehensive analysis of immune-related genes associated with the microenvironment of patients with unexplained infertility

Yongxiu Yang
2023-01-31
Background: Disturbances in immunological responses and modulation lead to implantation and pregnancy failure and might be involved in the pathogenesis of infertility. This project aimed to screen and identify immune-related genes as potential biomarkers for treatment.Methods: Gene expression profiles were obtained from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were screened using GEO 2R to explore potential biomarkers. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis and functional enrichment analysis were applied to explore possible mechanisms. The deconvolution algorithm [referred to as Cell-type Identification by Estimating Relative Subsets of RNA Transcripts (CIBERSORT)] was employed to assess tissue-infiltrating immune cells. Western blot analysis and immunohistochemistry (IHC) were conducted for determination of protein levels.Results: In this research, we identified 24 candidate immune-related DEGs via combined DEGs and functional analysis. We also found that the ratio of M0 macrophages and resting mast cells was higher in infertile group (P<0.05), whereas the amounts of activated natural killer (NK) cells was significantly lower compared with the control group (P<0.05). Furthermore, we evaluated the relationship between immune cells and candidate genes and found that 17 genes were related to M0 macrophages, resting mast cells, or activated NK cells. The genes CD40, PRF1, and EDN3 were chosen based on validation from independent datasets. Finally, our clinical samples confirmed the expression of the 3 genes.Conclusions: The study recognized 3 genes that are signatures and could be potential biomarkers for unexplained infertility. These genes might guide the immunotherapy of these patients and become new treatment targets.
Annals of Translational Medicine
ISSN:2305-5839
DOI
10.21037/atm-22-5810
EISSN
2305-5847
出版日期
2023-01-31
相关链接
https://atm.amegroups.org/article/view/108642/html
语种
英文
国家
中国
学科领域
循证医学
被引频次(WOS)
1
来源机构
Evidence-Based Medicine Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
研究类型
其他
关键词
Unexplained infertility (UEI) immune-related genes (IRGs) bioinformatics western blot analysis immunohistochemistry (IHC)
WOS学科分类
Oncology Medicine, Research & Experimental