A modular analysis reveals that kinase-associated gene groups are involved in taurolithocholic acid 3-sulfate (TLC-S)-induced biological processes of AR42J cells

Background: Bile acids can act on pancreatic acinar cells and induce intracellular trypsinogen activation, but the underlying molecular mechanism remains unknown.The present study aimed to investigate taurolithocholic acid 3-sulfate (TLC-S)-induced alterations of gene groups in AR42J cells using a modular analysis.Methods: After the pancreatic acinar AR42J cells were stimulated by TLC-S for 20 min, gene chip technology was applied to identify genes that were differentially expressed. Subsequently, the regulatory sub-networks of genetic interactions among the differentially expressed genes were constructed using the protein–protein interaction (PPI) network. Finally, the CFinder software was utilized to generate genetic modules, which were then subjected to a functional enrichment analysis.Results: The gene chip assay demonstrated that the expression levels of 1124 genes were upregulated and that those of 498 genes were downregulated in the TLC-S