Identification of Hub Biomarkers and Immune-Related Pathways Participating in the Progression of Antineutrophil Cytoplasmic Antibody-Associated Glomerulonephritis

BACKGROUND: Antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV) is a systemic autoimmune disease that generally induces the progression of rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis (GN). The purpose of this study was to identify key biomarkers and immune-related pathways involved in the progression of ANCA-associated GN (ANCA-GN) and their relationship with immune cell infiltration. METHODS: Gene microarray data were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO). Hub markers for ANCA-GN were mined based on differential expression analysis, weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) and lasso regression, followed by Gene Ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) and Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) of the differential genes. The infiltration levels of 28 immune cells in the expression profile and their relationship to hub gene markers were analysed using single-sample GSEA (ssGSEA). In addition, the accuracy of the hub markers in diagnosing ANCA-GN was subsequently evaluated using the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC). RESULTS: A total of 651 differential genes were screened. Twelve co-expression modules were obtained via WGCNA; of which, one hub module (black module) had the highest correlation with ANCA-GN. A total of 66 intersecting genes were acquired by combining differential genes. Five hub genes were subsequently obtained by lasso analysis as potential biomarkers for ANCA-GN. The immune infiltration results revealed the most significant relationship among monocytes, CD4(+) T cells and CD8(+) T cells. ROC curve analysis demonstrated a prime diagnostic value of the five hub genes. According to the functional enrichment analysis of the differential genes, hub genes were mainly enhanced in immune- and inflammation-related pathways. CONCLUSION: B cells and monocytes were closely associated with the pathogenesis of ANCA-GN. Hub genes (CYP3A5, SLC12A3, BGN, TAPBP and TMEM184B) may be involved in the progression of ANCA-GN through immune-related signal pathways.