%0 Journal Article
%T Bioinformatics Analyses Identify Shared Differentially Expressed Genes in Non-Tuberculosis and Tuberculosis Pulmonary Diseases
%A Chaoyue Liang
%A Hongyun Luo
%A Ni Zhou
%A Wenmei Mu
%A Shouqiang Ma
%A Zhicheng Yang
%J Open Journal of Epidemiology
%P 508-527
%@ 2165-7467
%D 2025
%I Scientific Research Publishing
%R 10.4236/ojepi.2025.153032
%X <b>Background:</b> Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) and Mycobacterium tuberculosis (TB) pulmonary infections share clinical features but have divergent outcomes, suggesting distinct host immune adaptations. <b>Methods:</b> We integrated transcriptomic datasets (GSE97298: 32 NTM vs. 9 controls; GSE83456: 45 TB vs. 61 controls) to identify shared and distinct molecular pathways. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were analyzed via limma (|log<sub>2</sub>FC| &#8805; 1.5, FDR &lt; 0.05), with functional enrichment (WebGestalt/Metascape) and PPI networks (STRING/Cytoscape). <b>Results:</b> We identified 48 shared DEGs with bidirectional regulation (e.g., LDHB: NTM &#8595; vs. TB &#8593;; NOD2: NTM &#8593; vs. TB &#8595;). Pathway analysis revealed neutrophil degranulation as a core-shared mechanism (FDR = 2.37 &#215; 10<sup>&#8722;</sup><sup>6</sup>). ELANE and DEFA4 showed strong co-expression (Spearman *r* = 0.86, *p* &lt; 0.001) linking to NETosis, while IRAK3 (innate immunity hub) and CD28 (adaptive node) emerged as context-dependent regulators. <b>Conclusion:</b> This study defines conserved neutrophil-driven immunopathology in mycobacterial infections and nominates IRAK3/CD28 for host-directed therapies.
%K Non-Tuberculous Mycobacteria
%K Tuberculosis
%K Transcriptomics
%K Neutrophil Extracellular Traps
%K ELANE
%K DEFA4
%U http://www.scirp.org/journal/PaperInformation.aspx?PaperID=143501