Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40597456›Full record

ArticleHuman genomics2025

Identification and experimental validation of ulcerative colitis-associated hub genes through integrated WGCNA and lysosomal autophagy analysis.

Yuanpei Zhao, Yijun Li, Qingwen Xu, Lili Ding, Weiming Li, Qinghua Zou, Yichen Hu, Kaiwen Shi, Hongyuan Liu

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Article in Human genomics, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 3 papers.

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0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Yuanpei Zhao *Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China.
Yijun Li *Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China.
Qingwen Xu *Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China.
Lili Ding *Department of Radiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China.
Weiming LiDepartment of Gastrointestinal Surgery,The Second Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, 374Dianmian Avenue, Kunming City, Yunnan Province, China. liweiming10372@163.com.
Qinghua ZouDepartment of Gastrointestinal Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China.
Yichen HuDepartment of Gastrointestinal Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China.
Kaiwen ShiDepartment of Gastrointestinal Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China.
Hongyuan LiuDepartment of Gastrointestinal Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China.

Funding

foreign cooperative research project of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University 2022dwhz09National Natural Science Foundation of China 82460114
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveThis study aims to systematically identify differentially expressed genes associated with lysosomal autophagy in ulcerative colitis (UC) and validate key candidate genes in an animal model, thereby providing novel insights driving UC pathogenesis.

methodsThe GSE47908 dataset from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) was subjected to principal component analysis (PCA), followed by stratified identification of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) across UC subtypes. Immune cell infiltration of these gene sets was evaluated using the CIBERSORT algorithm. Lysophagy-related genes set were retrieved from the GeneCards database. Bioinformatics methods were employed to stratify UC DEGs, weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) module genes, and lysophagy-associated DEGs, which were then subjected to Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses. A protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed via the STRING database, and Cytoscape was used to identify core genes highly associated with lysophagy. Core genes were validated using external datasets, and experimental UC mouse model was established to confirm their expression levels by real-time quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RT-qPCR).

resultsPCA of the GSE47908 dataset across UC subtypes revealed distinct spatial separation, integrated and subgroup analyses identified lysophagy-related key genes, and enrichment analyses demonstrated differences in core genes and pathways between overall UC and its subtypes. A PPI network highlighted five hub genes in UC (CASP1, CXCL1, LCN2, PSMB9, AGT). Upregulation of these genes was confirmed via external datasets and animal experiments. Moreover, immune infiltration analysis of UC samples demonstrated immune dysregulation during disease progression, underscoring the interplay between lysophagy and inflammation in UC.

conclusionThe five genes identified-CASP1, CXCL1, LCN2, PSMB9, and AGT-exhibit strong associations with lysosomal autophagy. Our findings suggest that these genes may function as critical regulators of lysosomal autophagy in UC.

Indexed as

AutophagyColitis, UlcerativeGene Regulatory NetworksLysosomesAnimalsComputational BiologyDatabases, GeneticDisease Models, AnimalGene Expression ProfilingGene OntologyHumansMiceProtein Interaction MapsBioinformatics analysisImmune infiltrationLysosomal autophagyUlcerative colitisWGCNA

Identifiers

PMID40597456
PMCPMC12220674

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.