Title:Proteomic Analyses Reveal Functional Pathways and Potential Targets in
Pediatric Hydrocephalus
Volume: 23
Issue: 5
Author(s): Yiwen Ju, Zhenling Wan, Qin Zhang, Si Li, Bingshu Wang, Jianmin Qiu, Shaojiang Zheng*Shuo Gu*
Affiliation:
- Key Laboratory of Emergency and Trauma of Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Tropical Cardiovascular Diseases
Research of Hainan Province, International School of Public Health and One Health, The First Affiliated Hospital
of Hainan Medical University, Haikou, 571199, China
- Department of Pathology, Hainan Women and Children
Medical Center, Hainan Medical University, Haikou, 570312, China
- Department of Pediatric Neurosurgery,
The First Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University, Haikou, 570102, China
Keywords:
Proteomic, pediatric hydrocephalus, molecular pathways, DEPs, proteins, drugs.
Abstract:
Introduction: Hydrocephalus is a common pediatric disorder of cerebral spinal fluid physiology
resulting in abnormal expansion of the cerebral ventricles. However, the underlying molecular
mechanisms remain unknown.
Methods: We performed proteomic analyses of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from 7 congenital hydrocephalus
and 5 arachnoid cyst patients who underwent surgical treatment. Differentially expressed
proteins (DEPs) were identified by label-free Mass Spectrometry followed by differential expression
analysis. The GO and GSEA enrichment analysis was performed to explore the cancer hallmark pathways
and immune-related pathways affected by DEPs. Then, network analysis was applied to reveal
the location of DEPs in the human protein-protein interactions (PPIs) network. Potential drugs for hydrocephalus
were identified based on drug-target interaction.
Results: We identified 148 up-regulated proteins and 82 down-regulated proteins, which are potential
biomarkers for clinical diagnosis of hydrocephalus and arachnoid cyst. Functional enrichment analysis
revealed that the DEPs were significantly enriched in the cancer hallmark pathways and immunerelated
pathways. In addition, network analysis uncovered that DEPs were more likely to be located in
the central regions of the human PPIs network, suggesting DEPs may be proteins that play important
roles in human PPIs. Finally, we calculated the overlap of drug targets and the DEPs based on drugtarget
interaction to identify the potential therapeutic drugs of hydrocephalus.
Conclusion: The comprehensive proteomic analyses provided valuable resources for investigating the molecular
pathways in hydrocephalus, and uncovered potential biomarkers for clinical diagnosis and therapy.
