Identification of m6A-related biomarkers in Kawasaki disease

Kawasaki disease (KD) is a widely prevalent acute vasculitis in children that often leads to cardiovascular complications. Although m6A modification plays a crucial role in various cardiovascular diseases, m6A-related biomarkers for KD remain unknown. We utilized GEO datasets to perform WGCNA to identify m6A-related differentially expressed genes in KD. Feature genes associated with m6A and key immune cells were identified using RF and SVM-RFE algorithms, and CIBERSORT, and the correlation was evaluated using CytoHubba and ROC analysis. The expression of hub genes was assessed in blood from patients with KD and in mice with CAWSinduced vasculitis. Our analysis identified four m6A-related hub genes: SNRK, PCCB, PIGP, and PRPS1, which exhibited significant negative correlation with M2 macrophages. A total of 477 microRNAs, 22 lncRNAs, and 3 snRNAs were identified as potential regulators of these hub genes. The ROC analysis demonstrated a robust diagnostic accuracy of these hub genes for KD. The expression of these hub genes was reduced in blood from patients with KD and in mice with vasculitis. In conclusion, SNRK, PCCB, PIGP, and PRPS1 demonstrate significant diagnostic value for KD and may also be considered as potential therapeutic targets.