Identification Of Differentially Expressed Genes And Cell Signaling Hubs In Premature Infants With Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia By Bioinformatic Analysis

Purpose: Bronchopulmonary dysplasia(BPD)is a chronic lung injury disease with higher incidence in premature infants,which seriously affects the survival rate and long-term prognosis of premature infants.Genetic factors play an important role in the pathogenesis of BPD,but there are still few studies on genes and pathways closely related to the occurrence and development of BPD.This study intends to find the key genes and pathways related to the occurrence and development of BPD,so as to provide a certain reference basis for subsequent basic and clinical research.Methods: In this study,the GSE32472 dataset was downloaded from the GEO database,and the differentially expressed genes(DEGs)of the BPD group and the control group at different stages were obtained through GEO2 R and drawn into a Venn diagram to obtain the DEGs that crossed together.Metascape and Cytoscape were used to analyze the function and pathway enrichment of the DEGs obtained,and the online software STRING was used to analyze the protein-protein interaction(PPI)to predict genes and pathways correlated to BPD.Finally,we compared the differences in CD2 expression levels between the BPD group and the control group,the control group and the different degree of BPD group at each stage.Results: We identified 242,100,and 300 genes associated with GA and BPD that were differentially expressed in preterm infants on postnatal day 5,14,and 28,respectively.A total of 47 genes were common to the 3 groups;these were related to T cell stimulation,the T cell receptor signaling pathway,and the adaptive immune response.Ten genes were identified as hub genes in the PPI network(cluster of differentiation 2[CD2],CD3 E,interleukin-2 [IL-2],inducible T-cell kinase [ITK],CD5,inducible T cell costimulator [ICOS],CD27,IL-7 receptor [IL7R],CD3 D,C-C chemokine receptor type 7 [CCR7],and T cell receptor-associated transmembrane adaptor 1[TRAT1]).CD2 expression was downregulated in the peripheral blood of infants with BPD and GA <28 weeks,and decreased with increasing BPD severity.Conclusion:(1)CD2 gene may become a potential early biomarker and therapeutic target of BPD,providing a basis for guiding the diagnosis,treatment and prevention of BPD.(2)CD2 gene may contribute to the pathogenesis and development of BPD by modulating the T cell immune response,providing important clues for subsequent in-depth exploration of its potential mechanisms affecting the occurrence of BPD.