title: Identification of hub genes of pneumocyte senescence induced by thoracic irradiation using weighted gene co‑expression network analysis.
abstract: Irradiation commonly causes pneumocyte senescence, which may lead to severe fatal lung injury characterized by pulmonary dysfunction and respiratory failure. However, the molecular mechanism underlying the induction of pneumocyte senescence by irradiation remains to be elucidated. In the present study, weighted gene co‑expression network analysis (WGCNA) was used to screen for differentially expressed genes, and to identify the hub genes and gene modules, which may be critical for senescence. A total of 2,916 differentially expressed genes were identified between the senescence and non‑senescence groups following thoracic irradiation. In total, 10 gene modules associated with cell senescence were detected, and six hub genes were identified, including B‑cell scaffold protein with ankyrin repeats 1, translocase of outer mitochondrial membrane 70 homolog A, actin filament‑associated protein 1, Cd84, Nuf2 and nuclear factor erythroid 2. These genes were markedly associated with cell proliferation, cell division and cell cycle arrest. The results of the present study demonstrated that WGCNA of microarray data may provide further insight into the molecular mechanism underlying pneumocyte senescence.
authors.affiliation: Tianjin Key Laboratory of Molecular Nuclear Medicine, Institute of Radiation Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Science and Peking Union Medical College, Nankai, Tianjin 300192, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Yonghua
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xing
authors.affiliation: Tianjin Key Laboratory of Molecular Nuclear Medicine, Institute of Radiation Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Science and Peking Union Medical College, Nankai, Tianjin 300192, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Junling
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Tianjin Key Laboratory of Molecular Nuclear Medicine, Institute of Radiation Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Science and Peking Union Medical College, Nankai, Tianjin 300192, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Lu
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.affiliation: Tianjin Key Laboratory of Molecular Nuclear Medicine, Institute of Radiation Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Science and Peking Union Medical College, Nankai, Tianjin 300192, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Deguan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Tianjin Key Laboratory of Molecular Nuclear Medicine, Institute of Radiation Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Science and Peking Union Medical College, Nankai, Tianjin 300192, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Yueying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Tianjin Key Laboratory of Molecular Nuclear Medicine, Institute of Radiation Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Science and Peking Union Medical College, Nankai, Tianjin 300192, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Song
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Tianjin Key Laboratory of Molecular Nuclear Medicine, Institute of Radiation Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Science and Peking Union Medical College, Nankai, Tianjin 300192, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Chengcheng
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Tianjin Key Laboratory of Molecular Nuclear Medicine, Institute of Radiation Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Science and Peking Union Medical College, Nankai, Tianjin 300192, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Zhubo
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Tianjin Key Laboratory of Molecular Nuclear Medicine, Institute of Radiation Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Science and Peking Union Medical College, Nankai, Tianjin 300192, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Jianguo
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Tianjin Key Laboratory of Molecular Nuclear Medicine, Institute of Radiation Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Science and Peking Union Medical College, Nankai, Tianjin 300192, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Aimin
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Meng
mesh_terms: D056809:Alveolar Epithelial Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D016922:Cellular Senescence / Q000235:genetics* / Q000528:radiation effects*; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000528:radiation effects*; D063990:Gene Ontology; D053263:Gene Regulatory Networks / Q000528:radiation effects*; D056726:Genetic Association Studies; D051379:Mice; D058977:Molecular Sequence Annotation; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000235:genetics / Q000528:radiation effects; D013909:Thorax / Q000528:radiation effects*