Chromogranin A pathway: from pathogenic molecule to renal disease

Gene Signatures Associated with Temporal Rhythm as Diagnostic Markers of Major Depressive Disorder and Their Role in Immune Infiltration

Temporal rhythm (TR) is involved in the pathophysiology and treatment response of major depressive disorder (MDD). However, there have been few systematic studies on the relationship between TR-related genes (TRRGs) and MDD. This study aimed to develop a novel prognostic gene signature based on the TRRGs in MDD. We extracted expression information from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database and retrieved TRRGs from GeneCards. Expressed genes (TRRDEGs) were identified differentially, and their potential biological functions were analyzed. Subsequently, association analysis and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were adopted for the TRRDEGs. Further, upstream transcription factor (TF)/miRNA and potential drugs targeting MDD were predicted. Finally, the CIBERSORT algorithm was used to estimate the proportions of immune cell subsets. We identified six TRRDEGs that were primarily involved in malaria, cardiac muscle contraction, and the calcium-signaling pathway. Four genes (CHGA, CCDC47, ACKR1, and FKBP11) with an AUC of >0.70 were considered TRRDEGs hub genes for ROC curve analysis. Outcomes showed that there were a higher ratio of T cells, gamma-delta T cells, monocytes, and neutrophils, and lower degrees of CD8+ T cells, and memory resting CD4+ T cells in TRRDEGs. Four new TRRDEG signatures with excellent diagnostic performance and a relationship with the immune microenvironment were identified.

A novel hypoxia-driven gene signature that can predict the prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma

Hypoxia environment exists in already started hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and promotes its progression by driving changes in the gene expression profiles of cells. However, the status of hypoxia-driven genes in HCC is largely unknown. In the present study, 368 HCC tissues from The Cancer Genome Atlas were divided into high and low hypoxia groups according to their hypoxia signatures. A total of 1,142 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified between the two groups, and 34 of these DEGs were highly expressed in HCC tissues compared with adjacent tissues, especially in HCC tissues from patients with stage III-IV HCC. After constructing a protein-protein interaction network and applying the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator Cox regression method for 34 DEGs, a three-gene signature (complement factor H related 3 [CFHR3], egl-9 family hypoxia inducible factor 3 [EGLN3], and chromogranin A [CHGA]) was constructed and had prognostic value to predicted outcome of patients with HCC. This three-gene signature was suitable for classifying patients with HCC in the International Cancer Genome Consortium. CFHR3 shows remarkable diagnostic value in HCC. Hypoxia decreased CFHR3 expression, but increased HCC cell proliferation and motility. Overexpression of CFHR3 in HCC cells under hypoxia reversed the stimulatory effects of hypoxia and suppressed cell proliferation and metastasis in vivo. In conclusion, we identified a novel hypoxia-driven gene signature (CFHR3, EGLN3, and CHGA) for reliable prognostic prediction of HCC, and demonstrated that overexpression of CFHR3 may be a potential strategy to overcome hypoxia and treat HCC.

Serum chromogranin A correlated with albuminuria in diabetic patients and is associated with early diabetic nephropathy

BACKGROUND

The kidney is the main site for the removal of chromogranin A (CgA). Previous studies have found that patients with renal impairment displayed elevated concentrations of CgA in plasma and that CgA concentrations reflect a deterioration of renal function. In this study, we aimed to estimate serum CgA levels and to evaluate the role of serum CgA in the early diagnosis of diabetic nephropathy (DN).

METHODS

A total of 219 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) were included in this cross-sectional study. These patients were classified into normoalbuminuria (n = 121), microalbuminuria (n = 73), or macroalbuminuria (n = 25) groups based on their urine albumin to creatinine ratios (UACRs). The degree of DN is reflected by UACR. A control group consisted of 45 healthy subjects. The serum CgA levels were measured by ELISA, and other key parameters were assayed.

RESULTS

Serum CgA levels were higher in patients with T2DM than in control subjects, and a statistically significant difference among the studied subgroups regarding CgA was found (P < 0.05). The levels of serum CgA increased gradually with the degree of DN (P < 0.001). Serum CgA levels showed a moderate-intensity positive correlation with UACRs (P < 0.001). A cutoff level of 3.46 ng/ml CgA showed 69.86% sensitivity and 66.12% specificity to detect DN in the early stage.

CONCLUSION

The levels of serum CgA increased gradually with the degree of DN and can be used as a biomarker in the early detection of DN.