CD2 glycoprotein and CD44 structure and prevention of diabetes nephropathy: Central characteristics of related genes based on WGCNA and PPI

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a prevalent complication of diabetes mellitus, characterized by complex pathogenesis that involves numerous molecules and signaling pathways. Among these, CD2 glycoprotein and CD44 play pivotal roles in cell adhesion, signal transduction, and inflammatory responses, potentially contributing significantly to the onset and progression of DN. This study aimed to investigate the central features of CD2 glycoprotein and CD44 in preventing diabetic nephropathy. To achieve this, kidney tissue sample data from DN patients were sourced from a public gene expression database. The roles of CD2 glycoprotein and CD44 within the PPI network were then analyzed, focusing on their interactions with other related genes. WGCNA analysis identified several significant gene modules associated with DN, including CD2 glycoprotein and CD44. PPI network analysis showed that these two proteins had a high degree of connectivity in the network, suggesting that they may be central regulatory molecules of DN. Further functional enrichment analysis revealed the potentially important role of CD2 glycoprotein and CD44 in diabetic nephropathy.