Abstract
BACKGROUND: Atherosclerosis (AS) is increasingly recognized as a chronic inflammatory disease that significantly impacts vascular health and contributes to cardiovascular disorders. LGALS3BP, a well-studied molecule, plays key roles in various physiological and pathological processes. METHODS: We identified LGALS3BP as a central focus through integrative analysis of DEGs across multiple datasets (GSE43292 and GSE9820) from the GEO database, combined with immune-related gene sets from the ImmPort database. Advanced analytical techniques, including Lasso regression and SVM-RFE, were used to refine gene selection. GSEA and GSVA revealed significant enrichment in immune-related pathways. The relationship between LGALS3BP expression and immune processes was explored using CIBERSORT and ESTIMATE algorithms, which indicated a positive association between higher LGALS3BP expression and increased immune cell infiltration. RESULTS: Among the 10 DEGs associated with LGALS3BP, 13 hub genes were identified via LASSO and SVM-RFE analyses. Functional assays highlighted LGALS3BP's involvement in viral defense, cytokine production, and immune cascades. Increased expression of LGALS3BP was positively correlated with activated dendritic cells, NK cells, memory CD4 T cells, naïve CD4 T cells, CD8 T cells, follicular helper T cells, gamma delta T cells, and regulatory T cells (Tregs), while negatively associated with resting mast cells, M0 macrophages, and eosinophils. CONCLUSIONS: Our research elucidates the complex relationship between LGALS3BP and AS, positioning it as a potential novel biomarker for diagnosis and disease monitoring. These findings lay the groundwork for future studies and suggest that targeting LGALS3BP-related pathways could enhance our understanding of AS.