Integrin subunit beta 6 is a potential diagnostic marker for acute kidney injury in patients with diabetic kidney disease: a single cell sequencing data analysis

Diabetic kidney disease (DKD), a prevalent complication of diabetes mellitus, is often associated with acute kidney injury (AKI). Thus, the development of preventive and therapeutic strategies is crucial for delaying the progression of AKI and DKD. The GSE183276 dataset, comprising the data of 20 healthy controls and 12 patients with AKI, was downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database to analyze the AKI group. For analyzing the DKD group, the GSE131822 dataset, comprising the data of 3 healthy controls and 3 patients with DKD, was downloaded from the GEO database. The common differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in renal tubular epithelial cells (TECs) were subjected to enrichment analyses. Next, a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed using the Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes database to analyze gene-related regulatory networks. Finally, the AKI animal models and the DKD and AKI cell models were established, and the reliability of the identified genes was validated using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis. Functional analysis was performed with 40 common DEGs in TECs. Eight hub genes were identified using the PPI and gene-related networks. Finally, validation experiments with the <i>in vivo</i> animal model and the <i>in vitro</i> cellular model revealed the four common DEGs. Four DEGs that share molecular mechanisms in the pathogenesis of DKD and AKI were identified. In particular, the expression of Integrin Subunit Beta 6(<i>ITGB6)</i>, a hub and commonly upregulated gene, was upregulated in the <i>in vitro</i> models. <i>ITGB6</i> may serve as a biomarker for early AKI diagnosis in patients with DKD and as a target for early intervention therapies.