Scholarlink

<p>Neuropathic pain (NP) is frequently comorbid with anxiety and depression, yet the underlying molecular mechanisms in the brain remain poorly understood, hindering the development of targeted therapies. This study aimed to identify key transcriptional networks and regulatory pathways in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) associated with NP-induced anxiodepression. We analyzed transcriptomic data (GSE92718) from the ACC of a mouse model of chronic NP. By comparing differentially expressed genes at a time point manifesting anxiodepressive-like behavior (8-week post-injury) against those with pain alone (2-week), we constructed a weighted gene co-expression network (WGCNA). A key module (blue module) significantly correlated with the anxiodepressive phenotype was enriched for synaptic signaling (glutamatergic/GABAergic), neuroplasticity, and key pathways like MAPK and Ras. Within this module, we identified 7 pivotal lncRNAs and 5 hub mRNAs (<i>Flt1</i>, <i>Slc38a2</i>, <i>Bmpr1b</i>, <i>Pdgfra</i>, <i>Gng2</i>) via integrated lncRNA-mRNA-pathway and protein-protein interaction network analyses. Furthermore, we established a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network, revealing a core regulatory axis comprising 3 hub lncRNAs, 5 hub mRNAs, and 40 miRNAs. The aberrant expression of the five hub mRNAs in the ACC was specifically validated in mice with anxiodepressive phenotypes using RT-PCR. Our findings unveil a critical ceRNA network and implicate dysregulated synaptic genes in the ACC as key drivers of NP-induced anxiodepression, providing novel insights into its molecular basis and highlighting potential diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets.</p>

错误：搜索内容不能为空，请输入英文关键词
错误：关键词超出字数限制，请精简
高级检索

Identification of susceptibility modules and genes through WGCNA and ceRNA network analysis in neuropathic pain-induced anxiodepression

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

    开放获取

  • 发表日期：

    2026年4月23日

查看全文
  • Yongtao He,
  • Yaowei Xu,
  • Fei Xing,
  • Xiaoshan Shi,
  • Fan Zhang,
  • Mingquan Xing,
  • Yafei Liu,
  • Wei Zhang,
  • Xin Wei,
  • Jingjing Yuan

摘要

Neuropathic pain (NP) is frequently comorbid with anxiety and depression, yet the underlying molecular mechanisms in the brain remain poorly understood, hindering the development of targeted therapies. This study aimed to identify key transcriptional networks and regulatory pathways in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) associated with NP-induced anxiodepression. We analyzed transcriptomic data (GSE92718) from the ACC of a mouse model of chronic NP. By comparing differentially expressed genes at a time point manifesting anxiodepressive-like behavior (8-week post-injury) against those with pain alone (2-week), we constructed a weighted gene co-expression network (WGCNA). A key module (blue module) significantly correlated with the anxiodepressive phenotype was enriched for synaptic signaling (glutamatergic/GABAergic), neuroplasticity, and key pathways like MAPK and Ras. Within this module, we identified 7 pivotal lncRNAs and 5 hub mRNAs (Flt1, Slc38a2, Bmpr1b, Pdgfra, Gng2) via integrated lncRNA-mRNA-pathway and protein-protein interaction network analyses. Furthermore, we established a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network, revealing a core regulatory axis comprising 3 hub lncRNAs, 5 hub mRNAs, and 40 miRNAs. The aberrant expression of the five hub mRNAs in the ACC was specifically validated in mice with anxiodepressive phenotypes using RT-PCR. Our findings unveil a critical ceRNA network and implicate dysregulated synaptic genes in the ACC as key drivers of NP-induced anxiodepression, providing novel insights into its molecular basis and highlighting potential diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets.