Identification of cellular senescence-related genes in myopia pathogenesis

Abstract Background Myopia is a global epidemic, posing a significant public health challenge due to its association with serious eye conditions. Recent research has suggested a potential connection between cellular senescence and various age-related diseases, which may extend to myopia. Methods This study employs an integrative genomics approach to explore the role of cellular senescence in myopia. It involves bioinformatics analysis of transcriptomic data from both myopic and normal samples to identify genes differentially expressed in relation to cellular senescence. The study also includes protein-protein interaction network analysis to identify key hub genes and their pathways, as well as the construction of mRNA-miRNA and mRNA-transcription factor interactomes for understanding the post-transcriptional regulation of these senescence-associated genes. Results The findings highlight differentially expressed genes associated with cellular senescence in myopic samples compared to normal ones. The study also uncovers central hub genes within protein-protein interaction networks, and provides insight into the post-transcriptional regulation of senescence-related genes. Additionally, a comparative analysis of immune cell infiltration in normal and myopic samples is presented, offering insights into possible immune-mediated mechanisms in myopia. Conclusion This integrative analysis sheds new light on the molecular connections between cellular senescence and myopia. The findings offer a novel perspective on the pathogenesis of myopia and present potential targets for therapeutic interventions.