Use of a Network-Based Method to Identify Latent Genes Associated with Hearing Loss in Children

Feng Liang; Xin Fu; ShiJian Ding; Lin Li

doi:10.3389/fcell.2021.783500

Use of a Network-Based Method to Identify Latent Genes Associated with Hearing Loss in Children

Front Cell Dev Biol. 2021 Nov 29:9:783500. doi: 10.3389/fcell.2021.783500. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Feng Liang¹, Xin Fu¹, ShiJian Ding², Lin Li³

Affiliations

¹ Anaesthesia Department, China-Japan Union Hospital, JiLin University, Changchun, China.
² School of Life Sciences, Shanghai University, Shanghai, China.
³ Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China.

Abstract

Hearing loss is a total or partial inability to hear. Approximately 5% of people worldwide experience this condition. Hearing capacity is closely related to language, social, and basic emotional development; hearing loss is particularly serious in children. The pathogenesis of childhood hearing loss remains poorly understood. Here, we sought to identify new genes potentially associated with two types of hearing loss in children: congenital deafness and otitis media. We used a network-based method incorporating a random walk with restart algorithm, as well as a protein-protein interaction framework, to identify genes potentially associated with either pathogenesis. A following screening procedure was performed and 18 and 87 genes were identified, which potentially involved in the development of congenital deafness or otitis media, respectively. These findings provide novel biomarkers for clinical screening of childhood deafness; they contribute to a genetic understanding of the pathogenetic mechanisms involved.

Keywords: biomarker; children; hearing loss; protein-protein interaction; random walk with restart.