Rationale: Overall validity of existing genetic biomarkers in the diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) remains unclear. The objective of this systematic genetic study is to identify "novel" biomarkers for OSA using systems biology approach.
Methods: Candidate genes for OSA were extracted from PubMed, MEDLINE, and Embase search engines and DisGeNET database. The gene ontology (GO) analyses and candidate genes prioritization were performed using Enrichr tool. Genes pertaining to the top 10 pathways were extracted and used for Ingenuity Pathway Analysis.
Results: In total, we have identified 153 genes. The top 10 pathways associated with OSA include (i) serotonin receptor interaction, (ii) pathways in cancer, (iii) AGE-RAGE signaling in diabetes, (iv) infectious diseases, (v) serotonergic synapse, (vi) inflammatory bowel disease, (vii) HIF-1 signaling pathway, (viii) PI3-AKT signaling pathway, (ix) regulation lipolysis in adipocytes, and (x) rheumatoid arthritis. After removing the overlapping genes, we have identified 23 candidate genes, out of which >30% of the genes were related to the genes involved in the serotonin pathway. Among these 4 serotonin receptors SLC6A4, HTR2C, HTR2A, and HTR1B were strongly associated with OSA.
Conclusions: This preliminary report identifies several potential candidate genes associated with OSA and also describes the possible regulatory mechanisms.