Beyond the Shared Inflammatory Axis: Differentiating Molecular Signatures in Psoriatic Arthritis and Ankylosing Spondylitis through Integrated Omics
Spondyloarthropathies; Psoriatic Arthritis; Ankylosing Spondylitis; Differentially Expressed Genes; RNA-Seq, Systems Biology.
Spondyloarthropathies (SpA) comprise a heterogeneous group of inflammatory, autoimmune, and chronic rheumatic diseases with genetic predisposition and possible environmental and psychological triggers. This study focuses on two main forms of SpA: ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA), which share clinical and immunopathological manifestations and therapeutic strategies, but also have specific molecular characteristics. The main objective of this study was to investigate the dysregulation of molecular pathways and differential gene expression patterns in patients with AS and PA in order to identify genetic signatures, potential biomarkers, and biological processes that are common and distinct between the two diseases. RNA-Seq data from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) repository (GSE186061, GSE117769, GSE205748, and GSE221786) were used to perform differential expression analysis, protein-protein interaction (PPI), and reconstruction of regulatory networks between transcription factors (TFs) and their target genes. The integration of these data enabled the construction of gene and regulatory networks, revealing central hubs and master regulators that possibly play key roles in the pathogenesis of both diseases. The findings contribute to the systemic understanding of spondyloarthropathies, providing insights for the identification of new therapeutic targets and the development of more accurate and individualized diagnostic strategies.