Rat Hepatocytes Weighted Gene Co-Expression Network Analysis Identifies Specific Modules and Hub Genes Related to Liver Regeneration after Partial Hepatectomy |
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| Authors: | Yun Zhou Jiucheng Xu Yunqing Liu Juntao Li Cuifang Chang Cunshuan Xu |
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| Affiliation: | 1. College of Life Science, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, Henan, China.; 2. Key Laboratory of Cell Differentiation and Regulation, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, Henan, China.; 3. College of Computer and Information Engineering, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, Henan, China.; 4. College of Mathematics and Information Science, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, Henan, China.; Schulze Center for Novel Therapeutics, Mayo Clinic, United States of America, |
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| Abstract: | The recovery of liver mass is mainly mediated by proliferation of hepatocytes after 2/3 partial hepatectomy (PH) in rats. Studying the gene expression profiles of hepatocytes after 2/3 PH will be helpful to investigate the molecular mechanisms of liver regeneration (LR). We report here the first application of weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) to analyze the biological implications of gene expression changes associated with LR. WGCNA identifies 12 specific gene modules and some hub genes from hepatocytes genome-scale microarray data in rat LR. The results suggest that upregulated MCM5 may promote hepatocytes proliferation during LR; BCL3 may play an important role by activating or inhibiting NF-kB pathway; MAPK9 may play a permissible role in DNA replication by p38 MAPK inactivation in hepatocytes proliferation stage. Thus, WGCNA can provide novel insight into understanding the molecular mechanisms of LR. |
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