Identification of senescence related hub genes and potential therapeutic compounds for dilated cardiomyopathy via comprehensive transcriptome analysis

Background: Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a common cause of heart failure. However, the role of cellular senescence in DCM has not been fully elucidated. Here, we aimed to investigate senescence in DCM, identify senescence related characteristic genes, and explore the potential small molecule compounds for DCM treatment.

Methods: DCM-associated datasets and senescence-related genes were respectively obtained from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database and CellAge database. The characteristic genes were identified through methods including weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA), least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO), and random forest. The expression of characteristic genes was verified in the mouse DCM model. Moreover, the CIBERSORT algorithm was applied to analyze immune characteristics of DCM. Finally, several therapeutic compounds were predicted by CMap analysis, and the potential mechanism of chlorogenic acid (CGA) was investigated by molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation.

Results: Three DCM- and senescence-related characteristic genes (MME, GNMT and PLA2G2A) were ultimately identified through comprehensive transcriptome analysis, and were experimentally verified in the doxorubicin induced mouse DCM. Meanwhile, the established diagnostic model, derived from dataset analysis, showed ideal diagnostic performance for DCM. Immune cell infiltration analysis suggested dysregulation of inflammation in DCM, and the characteristic genes were significantly associated with invasive immune cells. Finally, based on the specific gene expression profile of DCM, several potential therapeutic compounds were predicted through CMap analysis. In addition, molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations suggested that CGA could bind to the active pocket of MME protein.

Conclusion: Our study presents three characteristic genes (MME, PLA2G2A, and GNMT) and a novel senescence-based diagnostic nomogram, and discusses potential therapeutic compounds, providing new insights into the diagnosis and treatment of DCM.

Chlorogenic acid; Diagnostic marker; Dilated cardiomyopathy; Molecular docking; Senescence.