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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Endocrinol.
Sec. Renal Endocrinology
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fendo.2024.1426913

VCAM1: an effective diagnostic marker related to immune cell infiltration in DN

Provisionally accepted
Yuanyuan DENG Yuanyuan DENG *Sai ZHANG Sai ZHANG Zheng Luo Zheng Luo Mianzhi ZHANG Mianzhi ZHANG
  • Tianjin Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine Affiliated Hospital, Tianjin, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    The role of immune cells in the pathogenesis and advancement of diabetic nephropathy (DN) is crucial. The objective of this study was to identify immune-cell-related 2 biomarkers that could potentially aid in the diagnosis and management of DN.The GSE96804 dataset was obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Then, screen for intersections between differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and immune-related genes (IRGs). Identify core genes through protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks and the Cytoscape plugin. Subsequently, functional enrichment analysis was conducted. In addition, ROC analysis is performed to accurately identify diagnostic biomarkers. Apply the CIBERSORT algorithm to evaluate the proportion of immune cell infiltration. Finally, the mRNA, protein, and immunofluorescence expression of the biomarker was validated in the DN rat model.The study yielded 74 shared genes associated with DN. Enrichment analysis indicated significant enrichment of these genes in focal adhesion, the humoral immune response, activation of the immune response, Cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, and IL-17 signalling pathway. The optimal candidate gene VCAM1 was identified. The presence of VCAM1 in DN was further validated using the ROC curve. Analysis of immune cell infiltration matrices revealed a high abundance of monocytes, naïve B cells, memory B cells, and Macrophages M1/M2 in DN tissues. Correlation analysis identified one hub biomarker associated with immune-infiltrated cells in DN. Furthermore, our findings were validated through in vivo RT qPCR, WB, and IF techniques. Conclusions: Our research indicates that VCAM1 is a signature gene associated with DN and is linked to the progression, treatment, and prognosis of DN. A comprehensive examination of immune infiltration signature genes may offer new perspectives on the clinical diagnosis and management of DN.

    Keywords: diabetic nephropathy, Immune infiltration, Bioinformatics analysis, experimental verification, biomarker

    Received: 02 May 2024; Accepted: 13 Aug 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 DENG, ZHANG, Luo and ZHANG. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Yuanyuan DENG, Tianjin Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine Affiliated Hospital, Tianjin, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.