title: Protein-protein interaction network analysis and identifying regulation microRNAs in asthmatic children.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Asthma is a chronic inflammatory airway disease, the incidence of which has increased recently. In order to identify the potential biomarkers for allergic asthma therapy, microarray data were analysed to find meaningful information.
  
  
  METHODS
  Microarray data GSE18965 were downloaded from Gene Expression Ominibus (GEO), including seven asthmatic epithelium samples from children with allergic asthma and nine healthy controls. Limma package was used to detect differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and the criteria were |log fold change|>0.5 and p value<0.05. We used Database for Annotation, Visualization and Integrated Discovery (DAVID) tool to perform GO function and KEGG pathway analysis. STRING database was used to construct protein-protein interaction (PPI) network. MicroRNA (miRNA) regulation network was constructed according to miRecords database.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We identified 274 DEGs in asthma epithelium samples comparing with healthy controls. There were 123 up-regulated DEGs and 151 down-regulated DEGs. PPI network analysis showed that TSPO, G6PD and TXN had higher degree. miRNA regulation network demonstrated that miR-16 and miR-15a had higher degree. The target genes of miRNAs were significantly enriched in the apoptosis function.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  TSPO, G6PD and TXN, miR-16, miR-15a and apoptosis may be used as the targets for children's allergic asthma therapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory Medicine, Shanghai First People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200080, China.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory Medicine, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200011, China. Electronic address: qjou@163.com.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Qiao
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000235:genetics; D001249:Asthma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000235:genetics; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002648:Child; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D005954:Glucosephosphate Dehydrogenase / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000235:genetics*; D046228:Microarray Analysis; D060066:Protein Interaction Maps; D018079:Receptors, GABA / Q000378:metabolism; D013879:Thioredoxins / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; C505361:MIRN15 microRNA, human; C505362:MIRN16 microRNA, human; D035683:MicroRNAs; D018079:Receptors, GABA; C499229:TSPO protein, human; C491203:TXN protein, human; D013879:Thioredoxins; D005954:Glucosephosphate Dehydrogenase
keywords: Asthmatic epithelium; Differentially expressed genes; MicroRNA; Microarray data; Protein–protein interaction network