Transcriptome meta-analysis, identification of hub-genes, lncRNA, and the potential mechanism of skin cancer induction are among the Insilico techniques employed in this work. The decrease in false-positive results and the bolding of common responses across studies are two of the most critical advantages of integrating transcriptome data. Linked to the concept of HS illness, the immune system reaction might be due to a later bacterial or viral infection. But the kind of immune response and cancer induction via this disease would enhance the understanding of disease therapy and management and also cancer induction prevention.
In summary, single microarray data functional analysis indicated up-regulation of genes involved in B-cell development/differentiation, inflammatory process control, and immune response. These terms clearly illustrate how an immune response is generated, but they are connected to the illness's second stage, which is a skin infection caused by external stimuli, owing to the HS's disease type. With a significant focus on the up-regulated DEGs as a consequence of combined data, it was demonstrated that genes are engaged in both illness preventive and carcinogenic metabolic pathways. As one of the critical squamous cell carcinoma tumor markers, SERPINB4 is proven to be associated with diverse kinds of skin disorders [38]. TDO2, which is involved in tryptophan amino acid metabolism, has been proven to be a critical component of many malignancies. The exact regulatory mechanism of TDO2 is not precise [39, 40]. The ADAMDEC1 gene's physiological role is unclear, although it has been proven to be up-regulated in a number of inflammation-related disorders [41, 42]. MMP3 and S100A9 are important genes in the development of cancer and immune responses [43–46]. The FCRL5 gene impacts B-cell development and differentiation, as well as a number of immune-related disorders [47, 48]. As a key gene in the innate immune system, S100A7A plays a function in epidermal differentiation and inflammation [49]. It is widely recognized that this gene has a role in human skin defense against infections. CXCL13 has an influence on inflammatory, infectious, and immunological responses [50, 51]. This gene may also play a role in cancer's start and progression. The protein TNFRSF17 increases B-cell survival and regulates humoral immunity [52]. Both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria have been proven to be sensitive to CXCL6 [53, 54]. Another noteworthy outcome of this study was illness prediction, which was connected to the up-regulated DEGs. Macroglobulinemia is a malignant plasma cell disease in which B cells generate excessive quantities of IgM M-proteins [55]. Lupus is an autoimmune illness in which the body's own tissues, including the skin, are attacked by the immune system[56]. Synovial inflammation occurs when the synovium of a joint becomes inflamed [57]. The immune system assaults the body after consuming gluten, resulting in celiac disease [57]. Crohn's disease is one of the two primary types of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) [58]. Hyperphosphatemia is an electrolyte condition defined by an abnormally high phosphate concentration in the blood [59]. The majority of people have no symptoms, but some develop calcium deposits in soft tissue. Muscle spasms are frequent as a result of low calcium levels. According to the GO predicted for down-regulated genes, the keratinocyte differentiation metabolism, which is primarily influenced by calcium, and cornification, which is the gradual process of dead cell development on the skin to form a physical barrier, were both dysregulated. In the PPI network that was constructed, the chemokine-mediated signaling pathway obtained the highest score. Chemokine receptor-ligand combinations have a critical function in carcinogenesis, in addition to infection and inflammation [60].
The genes IL-6, FPR2, CCR7, CCL5, and CXCL10 were predicted to behave as hub-genes in response to HS. IL-6 is a pleiotropic cytokine with a broad spectrum of actions in the integrated immune response. One of IL-6's functions is immunological competence, which is defined as a host's capacity to respond to infections [61]. FPR2 identifies formyl peptides generated by pathogens or host cells and contributes to host defense and cell clearance. FPR2 may also identify other ligands with a broad chemical variety that are produced at different phases of inflammation to either promote or resolve inflammation in order to maintain a balanced inflammatory response. The mechanism underpinning FPR2 activation and promiscuous ligand recognition is unknown [62, 63]. CCL5 is categorized as a chemokine or chemotactic cytokine. T cells, eosinophils, and basophils are all chemotactic for CCL5, and it plays a critical role in attracting leukocytes to inflammatory areas [64, 65]. CCR7, a chemokine receptor, is a crucial organizer of the immune system's primary response. CCR7, a CC chemokine receptor, has been identified as a critical regulator of B and T cell trafficking to secondary lymphoid organs in homeostasis [66]. Inflammatory diseases, including viral infections, immunological dysfunction, and tumor development, have been associated with variations in CXCL10 expression levels. CXCL10 is also utilized as a biomarker to predict the severity of a number of illnesses. Infectious illnesses, chronic inflammation, immunological dysfunction, tumor development, metastasis, and dissemination are all connected to CXCL10 in humans [67, 68]. The predicted up-and-down-regulated DEGs include MIAT and POLR2J4. The MIAT lncRNA is proved to be involved in numerous illnesses and is categorized as a disease-related lncRNA [69]. On the other hand, POLR2J4 as a pseudogene is an RNA polymerase II subunit J4.
The functional enrichment of co-expressed genes with hub-genes and up-regulated lncRNA indicates that both created networks have a tight link to the immune response. GO terms such as cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, interleukin signaling pathways, T cell activation, and reaction to bacteria were among the most relevant terms. Alongside defining the significant pathways in conjugation with both hub-genes and lncRNA, this built network also provided insight into the characterizing proteins with unknown functions.
In the final part of the study, a combination of gene expression, survival, immunohistochemistry, and immune infiltration studies linked to skin cancer was done. The data indicate that among the hub-genes, CCL5 and CXCL10 genes exhibited a substantial up-regulation in skin cancer. On the other hand, among the up-regulated DEGs of merged data, TDO2, ADAMDEC1, and CXCL13 exhibited up-regulation in skin cancer. But, for correct knowledge of the influence of gene up-or down-regulation on cancer development, survival studies were done for each gene to examine the consistency or inconsistencies linked to the expression level of genes in HS, skin cancer, and survival patterns. Putting together, low expression of TDO2, SERPINB4, and MMP3 proved to enhance the survival rate of patients with skin cancer, and it was in contradiction with examined transcriptome data which indicates the up-regulation of these genes in HS illness. Immunohistochemistry confirmed TDO2, SERPINB4, and MMP3 gene over-expression in skin cancer from various individuals. It has been shown that the immunological state of the tumor microenvironment and the molecular expression of the immune checkpoint can predict the immunotherapy reactivity of patients. It was found that there is a moderate to a significant association between TDO2, SERPINB4, and MMP3 and immune cells. In short, TDO2 exhibited a connection with dendritic cells, T cell CD4+, monocytes, and neutrophils. SERPINB4 indicated a link with T cell CD4+, and MMP3 demonstrated a correlation with monocytes. In malignancies, immune cell infiltration is highly complex, which demands additional in-depth investigation.
Using herbal substances for skincare has been proved to be one of the most reliable strategies due to its favorable molecular effects. To this goal, in the present work, prospective pharmacological targets for SERPIN B4, MMP3, and TDO2 proteins were described using the TCMD database. Through a literature analysis of the anticipated compounds, it was proven that all the compounds have substantial antioxidant activity and, among them, Magnolol, Salicylic acid, and Piceatannol compounds have been demonstrated to be anti-cancer agents [70–72].