Global transcriptome-wide analysis of the function of GDDR in acute gastric lesions

Acute gastric lesions induced by stress are frequent occurrences in medical establishments. The gastric dramatic downrelated gene (GDDR) is a secreted protein, which is abundantly expressed in normal gastric epithelia and is significantly decreased in gastric cancer. In our previous study, it was found that GDDR aggravated stress-induced acute gastric lesions. However, the role of GDDR in acute gastric lesions remains to be fully elucidated. In the present study, RNA sequencing was performed in order to examine the gene expression profile regulated by GDDR in acute gastric lesions. The dataset comprised four stomach samples from wild-type (WT) mice and four stomach samples from GDDR-knockout mice. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses were performed to analyze the differentially-expressed genes (DEGs). Weighted correlation network analysis was used to identify clusters of highly correlated genes. Cytoscape was used to construct a protein-protein interaction network (PPI) of the DEGs. Based on the GO analysis, the upregulated DEGs were distinctly enriched in muscle contraction and response to wounding; and the downregulated DEGs were significantly enriched in the regulation of nitrogen compound metabolic process and regulation of RNA metabolic process. The results of the KEGG pathway analysis showed that the upregulated DEGs were enriched in ECM-receptor interaction and the signaling pathway of cGMP-PKG, and the downregulated DEGs were enriched in the renin-angiotensin system and glycerolipid metabolism. The co-expression network revealed a group of genes, which were associated with increased wound healing in the WT mice. Significant pathways were identified through the PPI network, including negative regulation of the signaling pathway of glucocorticoid receptor, regulation of cellular stress response, and regulation of hormone secretion. In conclusion, the present study improves current understanding of the molecular mechanism underlying acute gastric lesions and may assist in the treatment of gastric lesions.