The transcriptomic analysis of gene expression profiles associated with fungal keratitis in mice based on RNA-Seq. The transcriptomic analysis of gene expression profiles associated with fungal keratitis in mice based on RNA-Seq

Fungal keratitis (FK) is a blinding eye disease with a high incidence in the world. At present, there is no effective treatment for this disease. At the same time, we found that animal organisms have inherent immune response mechanisms to fungal infections such as C-type lectin receptors (CLRs), which can identify fungal invaders and trigger signal transduction pathways and cellular responses to eliminate pathogens. However, previous studies mostly focused on single receptor factors, lacking a systematic analysis of the genetic factors underlying the pathogenesis of FK. Herein,we performed a transcriptomic study of FK in mice model using RNA sequencing to obtain the relevant gene expression profiles and screen the differentially expressed gene sets, signaling pathways and regulatory networks of key genetic factors in the pathogenesis of FK in mice. As a result, several marker genes of FK were identified such as Il1b and Wnt5a. Wnt signaling pathway, cGMP-PKG signaling pathway and Hippo signaling pathway were significantly enriched during fungal infection in mice cornea. In conclusion, our study may provide a novel insights into the pathogenesis of FK as well as more target sites for its drug treatment.