Identification of Biomarkers Associated with Programmed Cell Death in Aortic Dissection via Transcriptome Sequencing Analysis [RNA-seq]

Background: Aortic dissection (AD) seriously threatens human health. Programmed cell death (PCD) plays a crucial role in AD development. This study aimed to identify biomarkers associated with PCD-related genes (PCD-RGs) in AD, providing new targets and strategies for therapeutic intervention. Methods: Transcriptome sequencing data from 5 control samples and 8 AD samples were analyzed. Candidate genes were identified by intersecting PCD-RGs with differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Biomarkers were found through PPI analysis and gene expression analysis. Functional enrichment, immune infiltration, regulatory network, and drug prediction analyses further elucidated AD mechanisms. Results: IL6, IL10, and TLR4 were identified as biomarkers for AD. IL6/IL10 had high expression in AD samples, while TLR4 had lower expression. Notably, these biomarkers are enriched in the "MYC Targets V1" pathway. Additionally, 5 immune cells with significant different were identified between AD and control samples. Correlation analysis indicated that IL10 had the strongest positive correlation with memory B cells and the strongest negative correlation with endothelial cells. Furthermore, 30 TFs targeting IL6, 23 targeting IL10, and 5 targeting TLR4 were identified. 6 key miRNAs targeting biomarkers and 5 key lncRNAs targeting the key miRNAs were also identified. This information was employed to construct regulatory networks, elucidating the mechanisms underlying these biomarkers. Finally, a total of 48, 20, and 23 drugs targeting IL6, IL10, and TLR4 were identified, which provided potential therapeutic targets for AD. Conclusion: IL6, IL10, and TLR4 were identified as biomarkers for AD, providing a promising foundation for targeted treatments.