Integrative analysis and knowledgebase construction of key candidate genes and pathways in age-related macular degeneration.

Journal: Experimental eye research
PMID:

Abstract

Age-related macular degeneration is a retinal disease that severely impacts vision in the older population. Its gene-related heterogeneity has not been fully studied, increasing the burden of precise treatment, prevention and prognosis. Genetic variation and related information were collected, annotated and expanded from multiple related websites, and all the data were integrated into the online platform AMDGKB. Users can visit this database via the following link: http://amdgd.bioinf.org.cn/for their personalized applications knowledge-guided modeling and applications. This study also explored the heterogeneity of ethnicity and AMD subtypes via genetic variation, functional enrichment analysis and protein‒protein interactions. These results suggest that VEGFA, MT2A, CCL2 and SERPINF1 play different roles in the development of AMD in different ethnic groups. The enrichment analysis also revealed differences in the pathogenesis pathways of different ethnic groups and AMD subtypes. This study highlights that genetic heterogeneity needs to be considered in the process of diagnosis and treatment. AMDGKB provides information for investigating the transformation of genetic variation during AMD progression, as well as for future personalized applications in the diagnosis and prognosis of AMD.

Authors

  • Dongyue Wang
    Department of Ophthalmology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100730, China.
  • Tong Tang
    Institutes for Systems Genetics, Frontiers Science Centre for Disease-related Molecular Network, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China.
  • Yayi Wang
    Department of Ophthalmology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, China.
  • Jing Zhao
    Department of Pharmacy, Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety Research Group, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
  • Bairong Shen
    Institute of Systems Genetics, Department of Critical Care Medicine, Frontiers Science Center for Disease-related Molecular Network, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610000, China.
  • Ming Zhang
    Heilongjiang Key Laboratory for Laboratory Animals and Comparative Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Harbin 150030, China.