Weighted Gene Co-Expression Network Analysis Identifies Key Modules and Hub Genes Associated with Mycobacterial Infection of Human Macrophages

Tuberculosis (TB) is still a leading cause of death worldwide. Treatments remain unsatisfactory due to an incomplete understanding the underlying host–pathogen interactions during infection. In present study, weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) was conducted identify key macrophage modules and hub genes associated with mycobacterial WGCNA performed combining our own transcriptomic results using Mycobacterium aurum-infected human monocytic macrophages (THP1) publicly accessible datasets obtained from three types infected seven different strains in various one-to-one combinations. A hierarchical clustering tree 11,533 built 198 samples, 47 distinct were revealed. We identified module, consisting 226 genes, which represented common response host infections that showed significant enrichment innate immune stimulation, bacterial pattern recognition, leukocyte chemotaxis. Moreover, by applied 74 best correlation mycobacteria infection, we top 10 hub-connecting genes: NAMPT, IRAK2, SOCS3, PTGS2, CCL20, IL1B, ZC3H12A, ABTB2, GFPT2, ELOVL7. Interestingly, apart well-known Toll-like receptor inflammation-associated other may serve as novel TB diagnosis markers potential therapeutic targets.