ORIGINAL RESEARCH Identification of circRNA-miRNA-mRNA Regulatory Network and Autophagy Interaction Network in Atrial Fibrillation Based on Bioinformatics Analysis

Background: Circular RNA (circRNA) has been receiving increased attention in the research of atrial fibrillation (AF). Our study aims to find potential circRNAs and identify the circRNA-miRNA-mRNA regulatory network in AF based on bioinformatics analysis. Methods: GSE129409 was retrieved from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database, and we used R software to analyze the differentially expressed circRNAs (DECs). Subsequently, we used several bioinformatics methods to obtain the target miRNAs and the target genes. Next, we performed Gene Ontology (GO) classification and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis of the target genes. Then, we used Cytoscape 3.8.2 software to visualize and construct the circRNAmiRNA-mRNA regulatory network, the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network, and the autophagy-related genes network. Results: We identified a total of 21 DECs, including 6 upregulated DECs and 15 down regulated DECs. After further analysis, we obtained a circRNA-miRNA-mRNA regulatory network consisting of 11 DECs, 9 target miRNAs and 410 target genes, and a PPI network. Finally, the potential novel genes of autophagy in AF were revealed by bioinformatics analysis. Conclusion: This study could explore the potential role of circRNA, autophagy-related genes and construct the circRNA-miRNA-mRNA regulation network in AF.