Identification of AHNAK expression associated with the pathogenesis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease by bioinformatic analysis.

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) was a risk factor for lung cancer tumorigenesis. This study aimed to discover novel diagnostic biomarkers for COPD patients and determine their underlying pathogenetic mechanisms.

Materials and methods: Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in COPD samples and normal controls were analyzed and utilized to construct a network associated with a high risk for COPD occurrence. Enrichment analysis was applied on the strength of Gene Ontology (GO) annotations and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis. The RT-qPCR analysis was performed to determine 10 hub genes in COPD. ELISA assay was utilized to measure IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-10 levels. Spearman's correlation analysis was conducted to detect the correlation between inflammatory cytokines and AHNAK expression. Cell proliferation and apoptosis were evaluated by CCK-8 and flow cytometry assays.

Results: AHNAK was significantly increased in COPD serum samples compared with non-COPD smokers and strongly correlated with inflammation. AHNAK level could also discriminate COPD from non-COPD with high accuracy.

Conclusion: AHNAK may be a feasible biomarker playing crucial functions in the diagnosis and progression of COPD.