Bioinformatics Analysis of Genes Involved in the Development of Adipogenesis in Lymphedema

Progression of lymphedema as pathologic condition characterized first of all by accumulation of high-protein fluid in the interstitial space. The another component of the affected body region volume is adipose tissue hypertrophy, and fibrosis. On the other hand, obesity may be one of the causes of lymphedema. In particular, obesity is a risk factor for increased upper extremity volume secondary to lymphedema after breast cancer treatment. In addition, it is believed that due to excessive amounts of adipose tissue, lymphatic vessel stasis occurs, which serves as a cause of impaired lymphatic transport from the limb. Some experimental studies testifies about lymphatic fluid stasis gradients regulate the expression of some proteins and the expression of these molecules correlates with fat deposition in response to lymphatic fluid stasis. The aim of this study is to search for genes involved in the pathogenesis of adipogenesis as well as lymphedema using bioinformatic approaches related to the analysis of molecular genetic networks. For this one the association gene network of lymphedema and adipogenesis was reconstructed using ANDSystem. The intersection of these two networks included 7 genes and 22 proteins simultaneously involved in the development of both lymphedema and adipogenesis. Result of the bioinformatics analysis, it was shown that most of the proteins involved in the process of adipogenesis are significantly associated with the development of lymphedema.