Bioinformatics analysis of gene expressions in vascular endothelial cells and peripheral blood single cells after Hantavirus infection and drug screening

AIM  To explore the effects of Hantavirus (HTV) infection on gene expressions, potential pathological mechanism and possible therapeutic targets in vascular endothelial cells and peripheral blood cells.

METHODS  We analyzed two HTV datasets, GSE133751 (3 HTV cases, 3 controls) and GSE161354 (7 HTV cases, 3 controls), obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO), identified differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and performed functional enrichment to explore related functions. Additionally, we analyzed disease-related cell subtypes, key genes and cell-cell interactions using single-cell sequencing data from HTV patients’ blood. Potential therapeutic drugs were screened based on molecular docking results.

RESULTS  Analysis of the GSE133751 dataset yielded 338 DEGs, with 288 up-regulated and 50 down-regulated genes. Functional enrichment indicated that these genes were primarily associated with antiviral and inflammatory responses. Using the single-cell dataset GSE161354, we identified CD4_Naive_T_cell as a disease-associated cell type and TXNIP and IL7R as core genes. Molecular docking suggested Ledipasvir and Rifaximin as potential therapeutic agents.

CONCLUSION  This study reveals differential gene expressions in HTV-infected vascular endothelial cells and peripheral blood cells, identifies core genes and key cellular subtypes and suggests potential target drugs through molecular docking. These findings provide a new experimental foundation for the clinical management of HTV infection.