Bioinformatic Analysis of Differentially Expressed Genes in Peripheral Blood of Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Tubercle Bacilli Co-infected Patients.

Objective To analyze the differentially expressed genes in peripheral blood of human immunodeficiency(HIV)/tubercle bacilli co-infected patients and explore the biological regulatory mechanism and network of key proteins,so as to provide new evidence for early diagnosis and clinical treatment of HIV/TB co-infected patients. Methods Microarray gene chip data of HIV/TB co-infected patients were downloaded from public databases GEO and imported into the analysis software GEO,STRING,PANTHER,and GenClip. The gene expression profiles,protein interaction networks,processes of molecular biology,and gene functions were analyzed. Results The expression profiles of 15 529 genes between the two groups of patients were similar,and gene expression profiles from 44 subjects were highly correlated. The 251 differentially expressed genes had good diagnostic capabilities in the differential diagnosis of HIV/TB infection. RPLP1 might be a key gene in the diagnosis of HIV/TB infection. The differentially expressed genes and positive regulators showed certain functions such as external stimuli,signal transduction pathways in cells,migration of neutrophils,and immunological and other relevant functionalities. Meanwhile,they may also be involved in free radical-related apoptosis,inflammation,and activation pathways. Conclusions A total of 251 differentially expressed genes are found to be able to distinguish simple HIV infection from HIV/TB infection. Protein-protein interaction network of top 40 differential expression genes includes RPLP1 gene,which is possibly associated with HIV/TB co-infection and may be involved in and the positive regulation of external stimuli,signal transduction pathways in cells,migration of neutrophils,and immunological functions. These findings may provide certain evidence for the diagnosis and treatment of HIV/TB infection.