The Screening of Critical Related Genes in Celiac Disease Based on Intraepithelial Lymphocytes Investigation: A Bioinformatics Analysis

Celiac disease (CD) is an immunological intestinal disorder, which is characterized by response to gluten. In addition to the environmental factors and dysbiosis of the gut microbiota, genetic susceptibility has an important role in the pathogenesis of this multifactorial disorder. Therefore, this study aims to present the crucial involved genes in CD pathogenesis.

In this bioinformatics analysis study, significant differentially expressed genes of intraepithelial lymphocytes (IELs) samples of celiac patients versus normal patients from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database were screened via the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network. The critical nodes based on degree values, betweenness centrality, and fold changes were determined and enriched by ClueGO to find relative biological terms.

According to the network analysis, five central nodes including IL2, PIK3CA, PRDM10, AKT1, and SRC and eight significant differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were determined as the critical genes related to CD. Also, CD4+, CD25+, alpha-beta regulatory T cell differentiation are identified as prominent biological terms in the celiac disease patients.

There is a possible biomarker panel related to CD that can be used as a therapeutic or diagnostic tool to manage the disease.