Hub Genes and Key Pathways of Intervertebral Disc Degeneration: Bioinformatics Analysis and Validation

OBJECTIVE: To identify significant pathways and genes in intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) based on bioinformatics analysis. DESIGN: The GEO database was used to download the GSE124272 dataset. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were analyzed using Limma package in R language. Then, gene ontologies (GO), Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG), and protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks were used to further identify hub genes. The mRNA expression levels of top six hub genes were verified. RESULTS: We found 563 DEGs, of which 214 were upregulated and 349 were downregulated. The top 5 GO terms and pathways were shown including immune response, cell cycle, and p53 pathway. Based on the PPI analysis, we verified the mRNA expression levels of 6 hub genes. The mRNA levels of CHEK1, CDCA2, SKA3, and KIF20A were upregulated in degenerative NP tissue than in healthy NP tissue. However, the mRNA level of BUB1 and SPC25 was downregulated. CONCLUSIONS: This study may provide new biomarkers for the IDD and treatments to repair IDD related to CHEK1, CDCA2, SKA3, BUB1, KIF20A, and SPC25.