Screening and identification of key biomarkers in diabetic kidney disease and its complications: Evidence from bioinformatics and next generation sequencing data analysis

Abstract Diabetic patients are prone to diabetic kidney disease (DKD), which may cause cardiovascular damage, hypertension and obesity, and reduce quality of life. As a result, the life quality of patients was seriously reduced. However, the pathogenesis of diabetic kidney disease (DKD) has not been fully elucidated, and current treatments remain inadequate. Therefore, it is essential to explore the molecular mechanism of DKD and its complications. Next Generation Sequancing (GSE217709) dataset was obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were picked out by R software. Then Gene ontology (GO) and REACTOME pathway enrichment analysis were performed by g:Profiler database, protein–protein interaction (PPI) of DEGs was constructed by Human Integrated Protein-Protein Interaction rEference (HIPPIE) database. Module analysis was carried out by Cytoscape plug-in PEWCC. Subsequently, miRNA-hub gene regulatory network and TF-hub gene regulatory network were performed by miRNet database and NetworkAnalyst database. Finally, validation of hub genes was performed by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis to predict the diagnostic effectiveness of the hub genes. In total, 958 DEGs, including 479 up regulated and 479 down regulated genes, were identified. The GO and pathway enrichment changes of DEGs were mainly enriched in biological regulation, multicellular organismal process, signaling by GPCR and extracellular matrix organization. Ten hub genes (HSPA8, HSP90AA1, HSPA5, SDCBP, HSP90B1, VCAM1, MYH9, FLNA, MDFI and PML) associated with DKD and its complications were identified. Bioinformatics analysis is a useful tool to explore the molecular mechanism and pathogenesis of DKD and its complications. The identified hub genes may participate in the onset and development of DKD and its complications and serve as therapeutic targets.