Abstract
Background
Crohn's disease (CD) is a challenging digestive system disorder, and the role of solute carrier-related genes (SLCRGs) in CD remains unknown.
Methods
We acquired two CD-related datasets from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. GWAS IDs for CD and exposure factors were obtained from the Integrative Epidemiology Unit Open GWAS database. Using SLCRGs, we conducted differential expression analysis between CD and normal cohorts, and CD-involved and CD-uninvolved cohorts, to identify differentially expressed SLCRGs (DE-SLCRGs). Single-variable Mendelian randomization (SVMR) estimated the risk of DE-SLCRGs in CD. Sensitivity analysis ensured the reliability of MR results.
Results
We identified 1561 upregulated and 830 downregulated differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between CD and normal cohorts. Additionally, 294 upregulated and 350 downregulated DEGs were found between CD-involved and CD-uninvolved cohorts. Based on DEGs, we identified two upregulated DE-SLCRGs and seven downregulated DE-SLCRGs. SVMR indicated SLC22A5 as a protective factor for CD. Functional enrichment showed SLC22A5's association with the 'chemokine-signaling pathway,' 'collagen binding,' and 'cell-substrate junction.' SLC22A5 was negatively correlated with natural killer cells. Predictively, we found 8 miRNAs and 19 compounds related to SLC22A5.
Conclusions
Our research validates the potential impact of SLC22A5, providing a foundation for exploring its regulatory mechanism in CD.