Identification of Both Shared and Specific Potential Molecular Mechanisms of ARVC and DCM Based on A Genome-Wide Microarray Dataset

Abstract Background：The study aimed to detect the shared differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and specific DEGs of arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) and dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) as well as their pathways. Methods: The GSE29819 dataset was examined for the DEGs of ARVC vs. non-failing transplant donor hearts (NF), DCM vs. NF, and ARVC vs. DCM based on 8 patients with ARVC, 7 patients with DCM, and 4 non-failing transplant donor hearts that were never actually transplanted. The shared DEGs and specific DEGs were screened out using a Venn diagram. The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment, Gene Ontology (GO) annotation, and protein-protein interaction (PPI) of the DEGs were determined using online analytical tools. Then, the modules and hub genes were identified using Cytoscape software. Results: A total of 684 shared DEGs of ARVC vs. NF and DCM vs. NF, 1371 specific DEGs of ARVC vs. NF, and 1075 specific DEGs of DCM vs. NF were identified. The shared DEGs were enriched in 63 biological processes (BP), 11 molecular functions (MF), 10 cellular components (CC), and 25 KEGG pathways. The DEGs of ARVC vs. DCM were enriched in 71 BPs, 19 MFs, 14 CCs, and 26 KEGG pathways. A PPI network with 187 nodes, 700 edges, and 2 modules, and another PPI network with 575 nodes, 2834 edges, and 7 modules were constructed based on the shared and specific DEGs, respectively. The top ten hub genes CCR3, CCR5, CXCL2, CXCL10, CXCR4, FPR1, APLNR, PENK, BDKRB2, GRM8, and RPS8, PRS3A, PRS12, RPS14, RPS21, RPL14, RPL18A, RPL21, RPL31 were identified for the shared and specific PPI networks, respectively. Conclusions: Our findings may help further the understanding of both shared and specific potential molecular mechanisms of ARVC and DCM.