M2 macrophage-related gene signature in chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps

Ying Zhu; Xiwen Sun; Shaolin Tan; Chunyu Luo; Jiayao Zhou; Shiyao Zhang; Zhipeng Li; Hai Lin; Weitian Zhang

doi:10.3389/fimmu.2022.1047930

M2 macrophage-related gene signature in chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps

Front Immunol. 2022 Nov 17:13:1047930. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.1047930. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Ying Zhu^{1

2

3}, Xiwen Sun^{1

2

3}, Shaolin Tan^{1

2

3}, Chunyu Luo^{1

2

3}, Jiayao Zhou^{1

2

3}, Shiyao Zhang^{1

2

3}, Zhipeng Li^{1

2

3}, Hai Lin^{1

2

3}, Weitian Zhang^{1

2

3}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
² Otolaryngological Institute, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
³ Shanghai Key Laboratory of Sleep Disordered Breathing, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.

Abstract

Background: Chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) is a common sinonasal inflammatory disorder with high heterogeneity. Increasing evidence have indicated that the infiltration of macrophages especially M2 macrophages play pivotal roles in the pathogenesis of CRSwNP, but the underlying mechanisms remain undetermined. This study sought to identify potential biomarkers related to M2 macrophages in CRSwNP.

Methods: The expression datasets of GSE136825 and GSE179265 were download from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database and merged. Then, CIBERSORT and weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) algorithms were applied to identify M2 macrophage-related gene modules. Thereafter, differentially expressed genes (DEGs) related to M2 macrophages were selected to perform functional enrichment analyses. A protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was built to identify hub genes and quantitative real-time reverse transcriptions PCR was used to verify the bioinformatics results.

Results: A total of 92 DEGs associated with M2 macrophages were identified for further analysis. The results of Gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) analyses illustrated that M2 macrophage-associated DEGs primarily enriched in immune responses and extracellular matrix structure. PPI network analysis identified 18 hub genes related to M2 macrophages that might be pivotal in the pathogenesis of CRSwNP. After verification, AIF1, C1QA, C1QB, C3AR1, CCR1, CD163, CD4, CD53, CD86, CSF1R, CYBB, FCER1G, FCGR3A, IL10RA, ITGB2, LAPTM5, PLEK, TYROBP were identified as potential M2 macrophage-related biomarkers for CRSwNP.

Conclusion: These findings yield new insights into the hub genes and mechanisms related to M2 macrophages in the pathogenesis of CRSwNP. Further studies of these hub genes would help better understand the disease progression and identify potential treatment targets.

Keywords: M2 macrophage; bioinformatics; chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps; differentially expressed genes; hub genes; immune infiltration.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Chronic Disease
Genes, fms
Humans
Macrophages
Nasal Polyps* / genetics
Sinusitis* / genetics