Research Square · Apr 1, 2022
Diagnostic biomarkers for skin aging
By Wang M, Ma Q
Abstract This study was conducted to identify potential diagnostic markers associated with skin aging and determine the association of these markers with N6-methyladenosine. Microarray data of differentially expressed genes in skin fibroblasts of elderly (~ 90 years old) and young (~ 20 years old) individuals were downloaded from the National Center for Biotechnology Information (GSE28300) database, and systematic Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analyses were performed. The interactions among different proteins were predicted using a search tool (STRING) that retrieves interacting genes. Next, the MCC and MCODE algorithms in the cytoHubba plugin were used to screen three key genes in the network. Finally, we investigated the relationship between skin aging and N6-methyladenosine. We identified 63 upregulated and 51 downregulated genes by screening related genes in skin fibroblasts of the elderly and young individuals. Based on the screening results, we identified that NOTCH3, GLI2, and SOX9 play key roles in skin aging. In addition, VIRMA methylation was found to be related to skin aging. We concluded that NOTCH3, GLI2, and SOX9 are biomarkers of skin aging, and inhibiting the expression of these genes may reduce the rate of skin aging. Our results provide insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying skin aging.