An Innovative Anoikis Signature With Inflammatory Infiltrates in Osteoarthritis

Aim

To explore the relationship between an innovative anoikis-related gene signature and inflammatory infiltrates in patients with osteoarthritis.

Methods

Gene expression profiles (GSM1248759 and GSE200843) were curated from the Gene Expression Omnibus database, followed by the construction of a protein–protein interaction network. Functional and genomic enrichment analyses were conducted using Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) databases. The CIBERSORT method was employed to investigate immune cell infiltration differences between osteoarthritic and control tissues. Additionally, the ConsensusClusterPlus package in R software was utilized to identify distinct anoikis patterns (Cluster C1 and Cluster C2) and conduct molecular biological investigations.

Results

Analysis revealed two distinct anoikis patterns (Cluster C1 and Cluster C2), with Cluster C2 patients exhibiting varying immune cell levels compared to Cluster C1 patients. Molecular investigations identified 84 DEGs enriched in specific pathways such as adipocytokine signaling, cytokine–cytokine receptor interaction, ECM–receptor interaction, and the PPAR signaling pathway. qPCR experiments confirmed the elevated expression levels of specific genes, including SOD2, MAPK14, CEACM3, LAMB3, COL13A1, TLR3, NOTCH3, and KLF12, in the IL-1β-induced group compared with the osteoarthritis group.

Conclusion

This study highlights the role of anoikis-related genes and immune infiltration differences in osteoarthritis, enhancing our understanding of its development.