Construction of a neural network diagnostic model for renal fibrosis and investigation of immune infiltration characteristics

BACKGROUND: Recently, the incidence rate of renal fibrosis has been increasing worldwide, greatly increasing the burden on society. However, the diagnostic and therapeutic tools available for the disease are insufficient, necessitating the screening of potential biomarkers to predict renal fibrosis. METHODS: Using the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database, we obtained two gene array datasets (GSE76882 and GSE22459) from patients with renal fibrosis and healthy individuals. We identified differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between renal fibrosis and normal tissues and analyzed possible diagnostic biomarkers using machine learning. The diagnostic effect of the candidate markers was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and verified their expression using Reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). The CIBERSORT algorithm was used to determine the proportions of 22 types of immune cells in patients with renal fibrosis, and the correlation between biomarker expression and the proportion of immune cells was studied. Finally, we developed an artificial neural network model of renal fibrosis. RESULTS: Four candidate genes namely DOCK2, SLC1A3, SOX9 and TARP were identified as biomarkers of renal fibrosis, with the area under the ROC curve (AUC) values higher than 0.75. Next, we verified the expression of these genes by RT-qPCR. Subsequently, we revealed the potential disorder of immune cells in the renal fibrosis group through CIBERSORT analysis and found that immune cells were highly correlated with the expression of candidate markers. CONCLUSION: DOCK2, SLC1A3, SOX9, and TARP were identified as potential diagnostic genes for renal fibrosis, and the most relevant immune cells were identified. Our findings provide potential biomarkers for the diagnosis of renal fibrosis.