Identification of Molecular Markers Associated With the Pathophysiology and Treatment of Lupus Nephritis Based on Integrated Transcriptome Analysis

Menghui Yao, Congcong Gao, Chunyi Zhang, Xueqi Di, Wenfang Liang, Wenbo Sun, Qianqian Wang, Zhaohui Zheng

Lupus nephritis (LN) is a well-known complication of systemic lupus erythematosus and is its leading cause of morbidity and mortality. Our study aimed to identify the molecular markers associated with the pathophysiology and treatment of LN. The renal tissue gene expression profiles of LN patients in the GSE32591 dataset were downloaded as a discovery cohort from the Gene Expression Omnibus. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified; weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) was used to identify the co-expression modules of DEGs; and gene function enrichment analysis, molecular crosstalk analysis, and immune cell infiltration analysis were performed to explore the pathophysiological changes in glomeruli and tubulointerstitia of LN patients. The crosstalk genes were validated in another RNA-sequencing cohort. DEGs common in RNA-sequencing dataset and GSE32591 were uploaded to the Connectivity Map (CMap) database to find prospective LN-related drugs. Molecular docking was used to verify the targeting association between candidate small molecular compounds and the potential target. In all, 420 DEGs were identified; five modules and two modules associated with LN were extracted in glomeruli and tubulointerstitia, respectively. Functional enrichment analysis showed that type I interferon (IFN) response was highly active, and some biological processes such as metabolism, detoxification, and ion transport were impaired in LN. Gene transcription in glomeruli and tubulointerstitia might affect each other, and some crosstalk genes, such as IRF7, HLA-DRA, ISG15, PSMB8, and IFITM3, play important roles in this process. Immune cell infiltration analysis revealed that monocytes and macrophages were increased in glomeruli and tubulointerstitia, respectively. CMap analysis identified proscillaridin as a possible drug to treat LN. Molecular docking showed proscillaridin forms four hydrogen bonds with the SH2 domain of signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (STAT1). The findings of our study may shed light on the pathophysiology of LN and provide potential therapeutic targets for LN.