AUTHOR=Chen Guozhong , Li Lin , Tao Hongmiao 

TITLE=Bioinformatics Identification of Ferroptosis-Related Biomarkers and Therapeutic Compounds in Ischemic Stroke

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Neurology

VOLUME=Volume 12 - 2021

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neurology/articles/10.3389/fneur.2021.745240

DOI=10.3389/fneur.2021.745240

ISSN=1664-2295

ABSTRACT=Background: Stroke is one of the most common deadly diseases with an estimated of 780,000 new cases globally, of which ischemic stroke ranks for over 80% of all cases. Ferroptosis is a new form of programmed cell death that play a vital role in many diseases, including ischemic stroke and heart diseases. The role of ferroptosis related gene in the diagnosis, prognosis or therapy of ischemic stroke was not fully clarified.
Methods: Ferroptosis related differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in ischemic stroke were identified by bioinformatic analysis of GSE16561 and GSE22255 dataset. Subsequently, receiver operator characteristic (ROC) monofactor analysis was performed to evaluate diagnostic value of ferroptosis related biomarkers in ischemic stroke.
Results: A total of 10 ferroptosis related DEGs were identified in ischemic stroke versus normal control. GO and KEGG analysis revealed that these 10 ferroptosis related DEGs were mainly enriched in response to oxidative stress, HIF-1 signaling pathway, ferroptosis, lipid and atherosclerosis. Moreover, the random forest model suggested 3 ferroptosis related biomarkers, including PTGS2, MAP1LC3B and TLR4, for ischemic stroke. Interestingly, the expression of PTGS2, MAP1LC3B and TLR4 were upregulated in ischemic stroke. ROC monofactor analysis demonstrated a good performance of MAP1LC3B, PTGS2 and TLR4 in the diagnosis ischemic stroke. The expression and diagnostic value of MAP1LC3B, PTGS2 and TLR4 in ischemic stroke were also verified using GSE22255. We also revealed the transcription factor regulation network and co-expressed protein network of ferroptosis related biomarkers. Several potential therapeutic compounds corresponding to MAP1LC3B, PTGS2 and TLR4 were also identified for ischemic stroke, including Zinc12503187 (Conivaptan), Zinc3932831 (Avodart), Zinc64033452 (Lumacaftor), Zinc11679756 (Eltrombopag), Zinc100378061 (Naldemedine) and Zinc3978005 (Dihydroergotamine).
Conclusion: Our results suggested MAP1LC3B, PTGS2 and TLR4 as potential diagnostic biomarkers for ischemic stroke, providing more evidences about the vital role of ferroptosis in ischemic stroke.