† These authors contributed equally.
Purpose: The purpose of our present study was to, for the
first time, identify key genes associated with postpartum depression (PPD) and
discovery the potential molecular mechanisms of this condition. Methods:
First, microarray expression profiles GSE45603 dataset were acquired from the
Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) in National Center for Biotechnology Information
(NCBI). The weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) was performed to
identify the top three modules from differentially expressed genes (DEGs).
Furthermore, cross-validated differential gene expression analysis of the top
three modules and DEGs was used to identify the hub genes. Gene set enrichment
analysis (GSEA) was conducted to identify the potential functions of the hub
genes. We conducted a Receiver Operator Characteristic (ROC) curve to verify the
diagnostic efficiencies of the hub genes. Lastly, GSE44132 dataset was used to
search the association between the methylation profiles of the hub genes and
susceptibility to PPD. Results: Altogether, 8979 genes were identified
as DEGs for WGCNA analysis. The turquoise, yellow, and green functional modules
were the most significant modules related to PPD development after WGCNA
analysis. The enrichment analysis results of the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and
Genomes (KEGG) pathway demonstrated that hub genes in the three modules were
mainly enriched in the neurotrophin signaling pathway, chemokine signaling
pathway, Fc
