Bioinformatic Analysis Combined With Experimental Validation Reveals Novel Hub Genes and Pathways Associated With Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis.

{"sci_version": "1.2", "schema": "https://corpus.bntrg.co.uk/sci/1.0/sci.schema.json", "id": "pmid:35059432", "kind": "science-record", "revision": 5, "content_hash": "sha256:c8471ba515baad83409e61f5a4b1c22363b14c8bc99f8bcb6e547386c285aeea", "created_at": "2026-11-01T17:36:47Z", "updated_at": "2026-11-01T22:48:17Z", "generator": {"name": "corpus-assay-engine", "run_id": "reading-sci-2026-11-01"}, "paper": {"state": "complete", "title": "Bioinformatic Analysis Combined With Experimental Validation Reveals Novel Hub Genes and Pathways Associated With Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis.", "doi": "10.3389/fmolb.2021.691966", "pmid": "35059432", "authors": ["Yan-Pei Hou", "Tian-Tian Diao", "Zhi-Hui Xu", "Xin-Yue Mao", "Chang Wang", "Bing Li"], "journal": "Frontiers in molecular biosciences", "year": 2021, "abstract": "Background: Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) is a type of nephrotic syndrome leading to end-stage renal disease, and this study aimed to explore the hub genes and pathways associated with FSGS to identify potential diagnostic and therapeutic targets. Methods: We downloaded the microarray datasets GSE121233 and GSE129973 from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. The datasets comprise 25 FSGS samples and 25 normal samples. The differential expression genes (DEGs) were identified using the R package \"limma\". Gene Ontology (GO) function and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses were performed using the database for Annotation, Visualization and Integrated Discovery (DAVID) to identify the pathways and functional annotation of the DEGs. The protein-protein interaction (PPI) was constructed based on the Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes (STRING) database and visualized using Cytoscape software. The hub genes of the DEGs were then evaluated using the cytoHubba plugin of Cytoscape. The expression of the hub genes was validated by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) using the FSGS rat model, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed to validate the accuracy of these hub genes. Results: A total of 45 DEGs including 18 upregulated and 27 downregulated DEGs, were identified in the two GSE datasets (GSE121233 and GSE129973). Among them, five hub genes with a high degree of connectivity were selected. From the PPI network, of the top five hub genes, FN1 was upregulated, while ALB, EGF, TTR, and KNG1 were downregulated. The qRT-PCR analysis of FSGS rats confirmed that the expression of FN1 was upregulated and that of EGF and TTR was downregulated. The ROC analysis indicated that FN1, EGF, and TTR showed considerable diagnostic efficiency for FSGS. Conclusion: Three novel FSGS-specific genes were identified through bioinformatic analysis combined with experimental validation, which may promote our understanding of the molecular underpinning of FSGS and provide potential therapeutic targets for the clinical management.", "claims": [{"id": "claim-method", "statement": "DEGs (FSGS vs normal) were identified from the GSE121233 and GSE129973 datasets using the R package ‘limma’ (Gentleman et al., 2004).", "kind": "methodological", "target": null, "evidence": [{"asset": "source:pmid:35059432", "locator": "sections[4] \"Data Processing of DEGs\" paragraph 2", "quote": "DEGs (FSGS vs normal) were identified from the GSE121233 and GSE129973 datasets using the R package ‘limma’ (Gentleman et al., 2004)."}], "state": "complete"}, {"id": "claim-data-access", "statement": "The datasets presented in this study can be found in online repositories. The names of the repository/repositories and accession number(s) can be found in the article/supplementary material.", "kind": "methodological", "target": null, "evidence": [{"asset": "source:pmid:35059432", "locator": "sections[20] \"Data Availability Statement\" paragraph 2", "quote": "The datasets presented in this study can be found in online repositories. The names of the repository/repositories and accession number(s) can be found in the article/supplementary material."}], "state": "complete"}, {"id": "claim-target-result", "statement": "The results showed that the expression of 45 genes were significantly altered in both datasets, including 18 significantly upregulated DEGs and 27 significantly downregulated genes.", "kind": "qualitative", "target": null, "evidence": [{"asset": "source:pmid:35059432", "locator": "sections[12] \"Identification of DEGs\" paragraph 2", "quote": "The results showed that the expression of 45 genes were significantly altered in both datasets, including 18 significantly upregulated DEGs and 27 significantly downregulated genes."}], "state": "complete"}], "gaps": []}, "experiment": {"state": "complete", "objective": "The results showed that the expression of 45 genes were significantly altered in both datasets, including 18 significantly upregulated DEGs and 27 significantly downregulated genes.", "steps": [{"id": "read_published_estimate", "order": 1, "name": "Read the published estimate from the source", "kind": "other", "state": "complete", "blocked_on": null, "description": "The claim, method and evidence span published with the source article.", "duration_hours": null, "parameters": {}, "inputs": ["source:pmid:35059432"], "outputs": ["the published estimate and its evidence"], "instruments": [], "reagents": []}, {"id": "obtain_source_data", "order": 2, "name": "Obtain the source data from the named repository", "kind": "data-preparation", "state": "complete", "blocked_on": null, "description": "The GEO series accession resolves and its sample accessions are listed. 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