title: Analysis of the protein-protein interaction networks of differentially expressed genes in pulmonary embolism.
abstract: The aim of the present study was to explore the function and interaction of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in pulmonary embolism (PE). The gene expression profile GSE13535, was downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. The DEGs 2 and 18 h post‑PE initiation were identified using the affy package in R software. The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways of the DEGs were analyzed using Database for Annotation Visualization and Integrated Discovery (DAVID) online analytical tools. In addition, protein‑protein interaction (PPI) networks of the DEGs were constructed using the Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes/Proteins. The PPI network at 18 h was modularized using Clusterone, and a functional enrichment analysis of the DEGs in the top three modules was performed with DAVID. Overall, 80 and 346 DEGs were identified 2 and 18 h after PE initiation, respectively. The KEGG pathways, including chemokine signaling and toll‑like receptor signaling, were shown to be significantly enriched. The five highest degree nodes in the PPI networks at 2 or 18 h were screened. The module analysis of the PPI network at 18 h revealed 11 hub nodes. A Gene Ontology terms analysis demonstrated that the DEGs in the top three modules were associated with the inflammatory, defense and immune responses. The results of the present study suggest that the DEGs identified, including chemokine‑related genes TFPI2 and TNF, may be potential target genes for the treatment of PE. The chemokine signaling pathway, inflammatory response and immune response were explored, and it may be suggested that these pathways have important roles in PE.
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, Tongji Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai 200065, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Hao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, Tongji Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai 200065, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Chen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, Tongji Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai 200065, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, Tongji Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai 200065, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Yinghua
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Tongji Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai 200065, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Qianglin
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Duan
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Tongji Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai 200065, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Zhu
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Gong
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology, Tongji Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai 200065, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Aibin
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Tongji Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai 200065, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Haoming
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Tongji Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai 200065, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Lemin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D019295:Computational Biology; D030541:Databases, Genetic; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D053263:Gene Regulatory Networks; D006801:Humans; D060066:Protein Interaction Maps; D011655:Pulmonary Embolism / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013997:Time Factors