Hspb1 and Lgals3 in spinal neurons are closely associated with autophagy following excitotoxicity based on machine learning algorithms

This study investigates the relationship between excitotoxicity and autophagy in spinal cord injury (SCI). Excitotoxicity, caused by excessive glutamate levels, is a major cause of neuronal death after SCI. Autophagy, a cellular self-degradation process, plays a complex role in SCI. The researchers used machine learning to identify key genes involved in spinal cord neuron injury. They mimicked excitotoxic injury in rat spinal cord neurons using high concentrations of glutamic acid, then performed transcriptome sequencing and various bioinformatic analyses. The study found that certain genes (Anxa2, S100a10, Ccng1, Timp1, Hspb1, and Lgals3) were significantly upregulated in both in vitro and in vivo SCI models. Further analysis suggested that Hspb1 and Lgals3 are closely linked to neuronal autophagy induced by excitotoxicity.

• 1
  Six genes—Anxa2, S100a10, Ccng1, Timp1, Hspb1, and Lgals3—were significantly upregulated in vitro in neurons subjected to excitotoxic injury and in rats with subacute SCI.
• 2
  Hspb1 and Lgals3 were closely linked to neuronal autophagy induced by excitotoxicity.
• 3
  The study identified a characteristic gene set comprising 195 candidate genes closely associated with excitotoxicity by employing WGCNA, DEG, and RF algorithms.