Exploring Key Genes and Molecular Mechanisms Related to Myocardial Hypertrophy Based on Bioinformatics

Abstract

This study aimed to identify key genes and molecular mechanisms associated with cardiac hypertrophy using bioinformatics analysis. Datasets from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database were analyzed using the GEO2R tool to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) related to cardiac hypertrophy. The top 10 DEGs from two datasets (GSE18801 and GSE47420) were used to generate heatmaps and a volcano plot. Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analyses were performed using the DAVID website. The protein interaction data for DEGs were visualized using Cytoscape software. A total of 767 DEGs were identified in GSE18801 and 447 DEGs in GSE47420, with 48 common differential genes named co-DEGs. GO enrichment analysis suggested these co-DEGs were mostly related to extracellular matrix organization, muscle system process, and tissue remodeling. KEGG pathway analysis demonstrated co-DEGs were related to malaria, estrogen signaling pathway, ECM-receptor interaction, and apelin signaling pathway. Eight hub genes were identified, including Fn1, Fbn1, Dcn, Ctgf, Timp1, Lox, Tlr4, and Lcn2. These hub genes might serve as therapeutic potential biomarkers of cardiac hypertrophy.