Atherosclerotic plaque rupture is a major cause of acute cardiovascular events. This study integrated gene expression data from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database to identify gene signatures and molecular mechanisms associated with plaque progression and rupture. Weighted Gene Co-Expression Network Analysis (WGCNA) and Differential Expression Genes (DEGs) analysis identified the "Neutrophil degranulation" pathway as significantly enriched. Sixteen hub genes were identified, with PLAUR, FCER1G, and PLAU showing increased expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from patients with plaque rupture and strong diagnostic power in ROC analysis. hsa-miR-665 and hsa-miR-512-3p may regulate this pathway through PLAU and SIRPA.

Junjun Wang, Suowen Xu, Wuqiang Zhu, Jibo Han, Fei Chen, Zhu G, Gao Y, Qian J, Lai Y, Lin H, Liu C, Chen F, Liu X, Guoqi Zhu, Yanhua Gao, Jun Qian, Yan Lai, Hao Lin, Chengxing Liu, Xuebo Liu