Revelation of Pivotal Genes Pertinent to Alzheimer ’s Pathogenesis: A Methodical Evaluation of 32 GEO Datasets

This study was  aimed to analyze the genetic data retrieved from 32 Gene Expression Omnibus datasets belonging to diverse ethnic cohorts in order to identify overlapping differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Stringent selection criteria were framed to shortlist appropriate datasets based on false discovery rate (FDR)p-value and log FC, and relevant details of upregulated and downregulated DEGs were retrieved. Among the 32 datasets, only six satisfied the selection criteria. The GEO2R tool was employed to retrieve significant DEGs. Nine common DEGs, i.e.,SLC5A3,BDNF,SST,SERPINA3,RTN3,RGS4,NPTX,ENC1 andCRYM were found in more than 60% of the selected datasets. These DEGs were later subjected to protein –protein interaction analysis with 18 AD-specific literature-derived genes. Among the nine common DEGs,BDNF,SST,SERPINA3,RTN3 andRGS4 exhibited significant interactions with crucial proteins including BACE1, GRIN2B, APP, APOE, COMT, PSEN1, INS, NEP and MAPT. Functional enrichment analysis revealed involvement of these genes in trans-synaptic signaling, chemical transmission, PI3K pathway signaling, receptor –ligand activity and G protein signaling. These processes are interlinked with AD pathways.
Source: Journal of Molecular Neuroscience - Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research