Identification of co-expression network correlated with different periods of adipogenic and osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs by weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA)

Background The differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells is a complex and dynamic process. The gene expression pattern and mechanism of different periods of adipogenic and osteogenic differentiation remain unclear. Additionally, the interaction between these two lineage determination requires further exploration. Results Five modules that were most significantly associated with osteogenic or adipogenic differentiation of BMSCs were selected for further investigation. Biological terms (e.g. ribosome biogenesis, TNF-alpha signalling pathway, glucose import and fatty acid metabolism) along with hub transcription factors (e.g. PPARG and YY1) and hub miRNAs (e.g. hsa-mir-26b-5p) were enriched in different modules. The expression pattern of 6 hub genes, ADIPOQ, FABP4, SLC7A5, SELPLG, BIRC3, and KLHL30 was validated by RT-qPCR. Finally, cell staining experiments extended the findings of bioinformatics analysis. Conclusion This study identified the key genes, biological functions, and regulators of each time point of adipogenic and osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs and provided novel evidence and ideas for further research on the differentiation of BMSCs.