RNA Sequencing and Bioinformatics Analysis of Differentially Expressed Genes in the Peripheral Serum of Ankylosing Spondylitis patients

We randomly selected three serum samples each from an AS and a normal control (NC) group for high-throughput sequencing followed by using edgeR to find differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Gene Ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG), Reactome pathway analyses and gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA)were used to comprehensively analyze the possible functions and pathways involved with these DEGs. Protein–protein interaction (PPI) networks were constructed using the STRING database and Cytoscape. The modules and hub genes of these DEGs were identified using MCODE and CytoHubba plugins. Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was used to validate the expression levels of candidate genes in serum samples from AS patients and healthy controls. Comparative gene expression profiling analysis of RNA-seq data for Serum of Ankylosing Spondylitis patients and normal controls.