Bioinformatics-based diagnosis and evaluation of several pivotal genes and pathways associated with immune infiltration at different time points in spinal cord injury

ABSTRACTABSTRACTSpinal Cord Injury (SCI) is a devastating neurological event. To assess the degree of spinal cord damage and classify the injury, it is recommended to use the 2019 version of the AIS standard. The severity of trauma was evaluated using the Trauma Severity Score, and various classification systems have been proposed for injuries at different parts and segments of the spine. Understanding the regulated signaling pathways and immune processes following SCI can lead to a better understanding of SCI-induced biomarkers and their underlying mechanisms. In this study, two gene expression datasets (GSE464 and GSE45006) from the Gene Expression Omnibus database were utilized. Differential gene expression and co-expression network analysis were performed, revealing 370 shared genes in the 3-day group and 111 shared genes in the 14-day group after SCI. The study used functional enrichment analysis methods such as Gene Set Enrichment Analysis, Gene Ontology, and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes. The ssGSEA method was used to assess the levels and composition of immune infiltration in both the sham (control) and SCI groups. The single-cell transcriptomics dataset GSE182803 was analyzed to identify genes associated with immune marker cells. Four key genes (Ptgs2, Fn1, Ccl2, and Icam1) were identified in the 3-day group, while only one gene (Cyp51) was identified in the 14-day group after SCI. The findings offer significant insights into the immune-related genes and signaling pathways involved in secondary SCI at different time points and hold potential for the development of intervention strategies for acute and chronic post-SCI.KEYWORDS: SCIassessment; differential genesWGCNAsingle-cell analysisimmune-related hub genes Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.Additional informationFundingThe authors received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.Notes on contributorsShu YangShu Yang MD, graduated from the University of Ulm, Germany. Now working in the Department of Spine Surgery Center of the Zhongda Hospital Southeast University. And has been engaged in Orthopedics-related work for more than 4 years, major in Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury research.Junping BaoJunPing Bao PhD, graduated from the Southeast University, China. Now working in the Department of Spine Surgery Center of the ZhongDa Hospital Southeast University, and has been engaged in Orthopedics-related work for more than 15 years, major in intervertebral disc degeneration and spinal cord injury research.Rui ShiRui Shi PhD, graduated from Southeast University, China. Attending Surgeon in the Department of Spine Surgery Center, ZhongDa Hospital, Southeast University. Engaged in clinical and basic research of spinal surgery for nearly 10 years.Lei LiuLei Liu M.D, obtained his Medical Doctor degree from University of Technology Munich. He has worked in the department of spine surgery center for eight years. During this period, he worked as visiting scholar at Brigham and women's hospital, affiliated to Harvard Medical School, for one year. His study focus on the biological mechanism and clinical treatment strategy of spine cord injury.Yuntao WangYuntao Wang PhD, Associate Professor, graduated from the Huazhong University of Science and Technology. The Chief Physician of the Department of Spine Surgery Center of the Zhongda Hospital Southeast University. He has been engaged in Orthopedics-related work for more than 20 years, and has presided over in many scientific research projects.Xin HongXin Hong MD, graduated from Munich University of Technology, Germany. The Chief Surgeon in the Department of Spine Surgery Center, ZhongDa Hospital, Southeast University. Engaged in spinal surgery and related research for more than 20 years.Xiaotao WuXiaotao Wu MD, PhD, Professor, The Chief Physician of the Department of Spine Surgery Center of the Zhongda Hospital Southeast University. He has been engaged in Orthopedics-related work for more than 30 years, published more than 50 SCI papers and has presided over in many scientific research projects.