Transcriptional profiling identification of inflammatory signaling pathways in ulcerative colitis

Abstract

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). This study identified core genes and pathways involved in UC by performing transcriptional profiling of colon biopsies from UC patients and healthy controls using data from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. A total of 202 samples, including 129 UC patients and 73 healthy controls, were analyzed, measuring the expression of 40,991 genes using a 44K formatted microarray. Differential gene expression (DGE) analysis and gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) identified several biomarkers potentially involved in UC development. PLCB3 was significantly downregulated, which suggested its role in maintaining intestinal homeostasis. In contrast, DUOX2 was upregulated, which indicated its involvement in the inflammatory response and oxidative stress. Pathway analysis revealed that PLCB3 is associated with lipid metabolism, NOD-like receptor signaling, and NF-κB signaling pathways, while DUOX2 is linked to reactive oxygen species production and chemokine signaling. The interplay between PLCB3 and DUOX2 suggests their combined impact on inflammatory processes in UC. These insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying UC identify key genes and pathways that could serve as potential targets for diagnostic and therapeutic interventions.