Identification of DDX58 and CXCL10 as Potential Biomarkers in Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a devastating condition of acute inflammatory lung injury and causes high morbidity and mortality. Therefore, investigations on the effective biomarkers will be significant for the understanding of ARDS. In our research, the gene expression profiles of 27 samples from ARDS patients (n = 18) and healthy controls (n = 9) were analyzed and eight gene co-expression modules were identified by constructing weighted gene co-expression network. The correlation analysis of modules with phenotypes showed that genes in the yellow and black modules, which were significantly enriched in the ARDS-related pathways, such as TNF signaling pathway, Toll-like receptor signaling pathway, and NF-kappa B signaling pathway, were associated with the phenotype "time postinfection." Genes DDX58 and CXCL10, which were highly expressed after infection and significantly enriched in ARDS-related pathways, presented high score in protein-protein interaction analysis, indicating that they may be associated with ARDS and providing novel biomarkers for its diagnosis, treatment, and surveillance.