The fusiform gyrus exhibits differential gene-gene co-expression in Alzheimer's disease

• Published in: Frontiers in aging neuroscience Vol. 15; p. 1138336
• Main Authors: Ribeiro-Dos-Santos, Arthur, de Brito, Leonardo Miranda, de Araújo, Gilderlanio Santana
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland Frontiers Research Foundation 15-05-2023; Frontiers Media S.A
• Subjects: Aging; Aging Neuroscience; Alzheimer's disease; Brain research; co-expression networks; Cognitive ability; Dementia; differential co-expression networks; fusiform gyrus; Gene expression; Genes; Genomes; hub genes; Neurodegenerative diseases; Neuropathology; Phosphatidylinositol 4,5-diphosphate; regulatory networks; Senile plaques; Tau protein; Toll-like receptors; Transcriptomes; β-Amyloid; differential co-expression networks; fusiform gyrus; brain tissue; co-expression networks; regulatory networks; hub genes; Alzheimer's disease
• ISSN: 1663-4365; 1663-4365
• DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2023.1138336

Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is an irreversible neurodegenerative disease clinically characterized by the presence of β-amyloid plaques and tau deposits in various regions of the brain. However, the underlying factors that contribute to the development of AD remain unclear. Recently, the fusiform gyrus has been identified as a critical brain region associated with mild cognitive impairment, which may increase the risk of AD development. In our study, we performed gene co-expression and differential co-expression network analyses, as well as gene-expression-based prediction, using RNA-seq transcriptome data from post-mortem fusiform gyrus tissue samples collected from both cognitively healthy individuals and those with AD. We accessed differential co-expression networks in large cohorts such as ROSMAP, MSBB, and Mayo, and conducted over-representation analyses of gene pathways and gene ontology. Our results comprise four exclusive gene hubs in co-expression modules of Alzheimer's Disease, including
, and
. Further, we identified three genes with differential co-expressed links, namely
, and
. The differential co-expressed network showed moderate predictive performance for AD, with an area under the curve ranging from 0.71 to 0.76 (+/- 0.07). The over-representation analysis identified enrichment for Toll-Like Receptors Cascades and signaling pathways, such as G protein events,
hydrolysis and
mechanism, in the fusiform gyrus. In conclusion, our findings shed new light on the molecular pathophysiology of AD by identifying new genes and biological pathways involved, emphasizing the crucial role of gene regulatory networks in the fusiform gyrus.