Background::Intracranial aneurysms (IAs) are the leading cause of nontraumatic
subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), accounting for up to 85% of all cases of intracranial
hemorrhage. The aim of this study was to identify core genes and pathways revealing
IAs progression.
Materials and Methods::We screened differentially expressed genes (DEGs) using
mRNA expression profile data from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO). Then functional
and pathway enrichment analyses of DEGs were performed utilizing the database for annotation,
visualization, and integrated discovery (DAVID) and the GEO Data Analysis
Module within the ACBI Bioinformation tool. Target genes with differential expression of
miRNAs were predicted using the miRWalk (Version 3.0) database, and the intersection
between these predictions and DEGs was selected as differentially expressed miRNAtarget
genes. In addition, a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network and an miRNAmRNA
regulatory network were constructed. Finally, L1000CDS2 database analyses were
performed to identify the potential therapeutic targets for IAs.
Results::In total, 742 DEGs and 171 DEGs were identified from the GSE13353 and
GSE15629 datasets, respectively. The PPI of DEGs consisted of 868 nodes and 618 edges,
including 392 upregulated genes and 521 downregulated genes, respectively, while 10 hub
genes were identified. Among the top 10 hub genes, justification of CXCR4, IL6, CCR5,
CCL5, CXCR2, CXCL1, CCL2, CCL20, CD4, and CXCL10. These hub genes were primarily
augmented in the atherosclerosis process, cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction
and cell adhesion molecules pathways. Through the miRNAs-hub gene network construction,
7 miRNAs associated with the hub genes were identified. The results suggest that the
sensitivity toward simvastatin, curcumin, parthenolide, celastrol, BMS-345541, etc., correlates
with the expression of 10 hub genes.
Conclusion::In summary, this study reveals some crucial genes and pathways potentially
involved in the pathogenesis of IAs progression. These findings provide a new insight into
the research and treatment of IAs.