Whole-transcriptome sequencing reveals the inflammatory endotypes and potential biomarkers of antrochoanal polyps

Whole-transcriptome analysis with next-generation sequencing (RNA-seq) was used to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between 6 pairs of ACP and ipsilateral uncinate process (UP) samples from the same patients. The hub genes were identified based on the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network constructed by DEGs. For the enrichment analysis of DEGs, the Gene Ontology (GO) database was employed.

Results: ACP samples were independent of UP samples as determined by PCA analysis. A total of 1419 DEGs were screened, with 604 up-regulated genes and 815 down-regulated genes. 10 hub genes were identified that may play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of ACP: IL6, ITGAM, CXCL8, FN1, EGF, ITGAX, TLR8, FCGR3B, IFNG, LEP, from the PPI network of 1419 significantly DEGs with 942 nodes and 5085 edges. Neutrophil activation, neutrophil-mediated immunity, neutrophil activation involved in immune response, neutrophil degranulation, neutrophil chemotaxis, neutrophil migration, and other neutrophil-related biological processes were significantly enriched by GO analysis.