Abstract
BACKGROUND: Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common neurodegenerative disorder of the central nervous system. Neuropathic pain (NP) is a type of symptom that is often overlooked but significantly affects the quality of life of patients. Its etiology is complex, and the specific molecular mechanism is still unclear. This study aimed to systematically identify the common genes between PD and NP, and further explore their potential diagnostic value in NP of PD. METHODS: PD- and NP-related datasets were downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in each dataset. Intersection of these DEGs yielded co-DEGs. A protein-protein interaction network was established for co-DEGs, and algorithms-Matthews Correlation Coefficient, Maximal Neighborhood Component, Edge Percolated Component, and Closeness-were applied to identify hub genes, resulting in co-hub genes. Receiver operating characteristic curves were plotted to assess diagnostic efficacy of co-hub genes for PD and NP. Differences in immune cell infiltration between disease and control groups were explored, along with miRNAs of co-hub genes and their single-cell expression profiles. RESULTS: Three co-hub genes-CADPS, GDAP1, and SEZ6L2-were identified. Expression of these genes demonstrated diagnostic accuracy for PD and NP. Th2 cells and Tregs exhibited differential infiltration between disease and control groups, with Tregs showing significant infiltration in the disease group. Eight miRNAs targeting co-hub genes were predicted, including hsa-miR-330-3p, hsa-miR-7977, and hsa-miR-325-3p. All three co-hub genes were highly expressed in neurons and astrocytes. CONCLUSION: In summary, we identified three co-hub genes associated with both PD and NP. These findings provide valuable insights into diagnosis and treatment of these conditions.