Pathogenic Genes for Congenital Microtia: A Bioinformatics Analysis

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study is to accurately find the pathogenic genes of congenital microtia, so as to lay a theoretical foundation for genetic screening, diagnosis, and gene therapy of congenital microtia in the further stage. Methods: In this study, the authors used public data from the Mouse Genome Informatics database. The authors used the String database (https://string-db.org/) to construct the Protein-Protein Interaction network. Then Gene Ontology classification and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analysis were performed for the pathogenic genes. Results: The authors searched the Mouse Genome Informatics database and found 84 pathogenic genes of congenital microtia. The Protein-Protein Interaction network for pathogenic genes was constructed, which contained 81 nodes and 148 lines with MCM5, CDT1, POLA1, CDC45, CDC6, EFTUD2, ORC1, ORC4, ORC6, and TCOF1. The authors conducted a Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway enrichment analysis on pathogenic genes, and the results showed that pathogenic genes were involved in O-mannan biosynthesis, cell cycle, RNA polymerase, and other signaling pathways. Conclusions: The authors’ results indicated that the occurrence of congenital microtia is attributed to a variety of genes. Furthermore, the interactions of pathogenic genes were further elucidated by using a bioinformatics approach. This study will help to reveal the pathogenesis of congenital microtia and lay the foundation for accurate diagnosis and treatment of congenital microtia in the future.