Identification of immune cells infiltrating in hippocampus and key genes associated with Alzheimer’s disease

BMC Medical Genomics, 2023 · DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12920-023-01458-2 · Published: March 1, 2023

Simple Explanation

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a common cause of dementia linked to memory and cognitive decline, and recent studies suggest immune cells are important in AD pathology. This study explores how immune cell infiltration in the hippocampus affects AD and identifies key genes influencing AD in patients. Transcriptomic data from the hippocampus was collected and analyzed to assess immune cell infiltration. The results showed altered immune cell abundance in AD patients' hippocampi, with monocytes identified as a key immune cell associated with AD. Four key genes (KDELR1, SPTAN1, CDC16, and RBBP6) related to both AD and monocytes were identified and found to be differentially expressed in 5XFAD mice versus wild-type mice. Logistic regression and random forest models using these genes could effectively distinguish AD from healthy samples, suggesting a new approach for immunotherapy in AD.

Study Duration

Not specified

Participants

29 AD samples and 56 control samples

Evidence Level

Not specified

Key Findings

1
The relative abundance of immune cells in the hippocampus of AD patients was altered compared to healthy individuals.
2
Monocytes were identified as a key immune cell type associated with AD in the hippocampus.
3
Four key genes (KDELR1, SPTAN1, CDC16, and RBBP6) associated with both AD and monocytes were identified and validated.

Research Summary

This study investigated the role of immune cell infiltration in the hippocampus of Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients and identified key genes associated with AD pathogenesis. Transcriptomic data analysis revealed altered immune cell abundance, with monocytes being a key immune cell associated with AD. Four key genes (KDELR1, SPTAN1, CDC16, and RBBP6) were identified as being associated with both AD and monocytes, and were differentially expressed in 5XFAD mice. Models based on these genes could distinguish AD from healthy samples. Functional enrichment analysis and network construction further supported the role of these key genes in AD-related pathways and suggested potential therapeutic targets for AD immunotherapy.

Practical Implications

Immunotherapy Development

The identification of key immune cells and genes provides potential targets for developing immunomodulatory therapies for AD.

Diagnostic Biomarkers

The four key genes identified could serve as potential biomarkers for early AD diagnosis.

Personalized Medicine

Understanding the specific immune cell profiles and gene expression patterns in individual AD patients could lead to more personalized treatment strategies.

Study Limitations

1
The study relies on existing datasets, which may have inherent biases or limitations.
2
The functional validation of the identified key genes is limited to in vitro experiments and animal models.
3
The mRNA-miRNA-lncRNA network is based on computational predictions and requires further experimental validation.

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