Gene markers of fracture healing in early stage and the regulatory mechanism during the process using microarray analysis

Abstract

Background: The aim of this study was to explore crucial markers and uncover the regulatory mechanisms of fracture healing in the early stage.Methods: Gene expression proŞle of GSE45156 was downloaded, in which 3 fractured samples and 3unfractured samples were used in our present study. Based on the threshold value, differentiallyexpressed genes (DEGs) were selected between two kinds of samples using limma package in R.Enrichment analysis of these DEGs was performed by DAVID software. Furthermore, protein-proteininteraction (PPI) network was established integrating information in STRING database, and visualizedby Cytoscape software.Results: We identiŞed a set of 960 DEGs including 509 up-regulated and 451 downregulated genes.Biological processes involving RNA splicing and cell cycle were signiŞcantly enriched for the upregulated genes such as Snrpd2, Eftud2, Plk1 and Bub1b, whereas skeletal system development andbone development processes were predominant for down-regulated genes like Ubc. In the constructedPPI network, all theŞve genes were the predominant nodes, of which Snrpd2 was linked to Eftud2, whileBub1b was to interact with Plk1.Conclusion: Five candidate genes crucial for indicating the process of fracture in early stage wereidentiŞed. Eftud2, Snrpd2, Bub1b and Plk1 might function through the involvement of cell-cycle-relatedBP, while Ubc might influence the protein degradation during bone development. However, moreexperimental validations are needed to conŞrm these results.