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AIM: Gene expression profiles for intervertebral disc (IVD) cells treated with different osmolarities were compared to identify key genes associated with intervertebral disc diseases. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Microarray data was downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database and pre-processed using package of R. Gene co-expression was determined with Pearson correlation coefficient. Interaction networks were established with the protein-protein interaction (PPI) information obtained from Human Protein Reference Database (HPRD database) for the two conditions: isosmoticity and hyperosmosis, and then a comparative analysis was done to identify disease-related genes. The functional annotation was performed for these genes using network ontology analysis (NOA), which also confirmed the effectiveness of this method. RESULTS: A total of 45 feature genes were obtained through comparing 7 samples treated under isosmotic conditions and 9 high osmotic conditions. Biological processes and molecular functions were then revealed by NOA. CONCLUSIONS: A range of disease-related genes were obtained, which might serve as the potential biomarkers or drug targets. More works are needed to further elucidate their roles in the development of intervertebral disc diseases like intervertebral disc herniation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]