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Transcriptomics of MASLD Pathobiology in African American Patients in the Washington DC Area †

Authors :
Tanmoy Mondal
Coleman I. Smith
Christopher A. Loffredo
Ruth Quartey
Gemeyel Moses
Charles D. Howell
Brent Korba
Bernard Kwabi-Addo
Gail Nunlee-Bland
Leanna R. Rucker
Jheannelle Johnson
Somiranjan Ghosh
Source :
International Journal of Molecular Sciences, Vol 24, Iss 23, p 16654 (2023)
Publication Year :
2023
Publisher :
MDPI AG, 2023.

Abstract

Metabolic-dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is becoming the most common chronic liver disease worldwide and is of concern among African Americans (AA) in the United States. This pilot study evaluated the differential gene expressions and identified the signature genes in the disease pathways of AA individuals with MASLD. Blood samples were obtained from MASLD patients (n = 23) and non-MASLD controls (n = 24) along with their sociodemographic and medical details. Whole-blood transcriptomic analysis was carried out using Affymetrix Clarion-S Assay. A validation study was performed utilizing TaqMan Arrays coupled with Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) to identify the major disease pathways. Out of 21,448 genes in total, 535 genes (2.5%) were significantly (p < 0.05) and differentially expressed when we compared the cases and controls. A significant overlap in the predominant differentially expressed genes and pathways identified in previous studies using hepatic tissue was observed. Of note, TGFB1 and E2F1 genes were upregulated, and HMBS was downregulated significantly. Hepatic fibrosis signaling is the top canonical pathway, and its corresponding biofunction contributes to the development of hepatocellular carcinoma. The findings address the knowledge gaps regarding how signature genes and functional pathways can be detected in blood samples (‘liquid biopsy’) in AA MASLD patients, demonstrating the potential of the blood samples as an alternative non-invasive source of material for future studies.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
24231665, 14220067, and 16616596
Volume :
24
Issue :
23
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
International Journal of Molecular Sciences
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.40678cd754d046c79325b9e9e8dfb276
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms242316654