Upregulation of CXCL1 and FCGR1A is Associated With the ischemic stroke and Crohn’s Disease

Abstract

Abstract Background Evidence is accumulating that brain disorders increase risk of gut diseases, and that there is a causal connection between ischemic stroke (IS) and Crohn's disease (CD). It is unclear what mechanisms underlie the coexistence of IS and CD. This study was designed to obtain insights into the mechanisms mediating the coexistence of IS and CD based on a quantitative analysis of a public RNA sequencing database. Methods Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases were used to download IS (GSE58294) and CD (GSE95095). To explore the functions of different genes (DEGs), the edgeR and limma packages of R were used. Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia analyses of common DEGs were also conducted. A genetic interaction database was established by using protein–protein interaction (PPI) networks. After visualization by cytoscape, hub genes were screened out by plug-in. Then, Hub gene validations were performed in GSE16561 and GSE36807 for IS and CD, respectively. To evaluate the predictive value of hub genes, ROC curves were used. Finally, genome enrichment and immune infiltration were used to analyze hub genes. Results The 108 common DEGs were classified into 12 downregulated and 96 upregulated. A functional analysis revealed that inflammation and the immune pathway were critical for the initiation and development of IS and CD. Validation revealed that all areas under the curve for IS and CD were generally greater than 0.7 and that the hub genes CXCL1 and FCGR1A had good diagnostic markers for both diseases. There was a positive correlation between neutrophil infiltration and hub genes. The path of immune processes was associated with high expression of CXCL1 and FCGR1A in both IS and CD following neutrophil infiltration. Conclusions Our study performed a series of analyses of DEGs common to IS and CD, with the aim of revealing their common pathogenesis. Both diseases could benefit from analysis of these common pathways and hub genes for the identification of potential biomarkers, helping valuable therapeutic clues.