Deciphering the genetic and modular connections between coronary heart disease, idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension and pulmonary heart disease

Coronary heart disease (CHD), idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH) and pulmonary heart disease (PHD) are circulatory system diseases that may simultaneously emerge in a patient and they are often treated together in clinical practice. However, the molecular mechanisms connecting these three diseases remain unclear. In order to determine the multidimensional characteristic correlations between these three diseases based on genomic networks to aid in medical decision-making, genes from the Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man database were obtained, and applied network construction and modularized analysis were conducted. Functional enrichment analysis was conducted to explore the associations between overlapping genes, modules and pathways. A total of 29 overlapping genes and 3 common modules were identifed for the 3 diseases. Glycosphingolipid biosynthesis and the arachidonic acid metabolism are common pathways, and the biosynthetic process is suggested to be the major function involved in the three diseases. The current study reported, to the best of our knowledge for the first time, the role of glycosphingolipid biosynthesis in IPAH and PHD. The present study provided an improved understanding of the pathological mechanisms underlying CHD, IPAH and PHD. The overlapping genes, modules and pathways suggest novel areas for further research, and drug targets. The observations of the current study additionally suggest that drug indications can be broadened because of the presence of common targets.