Mitochondrial energy metabolism and Alzheimer's disease: Identifying key differentially expressed genes in blood

BackgroundAlzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder linked to mitochondrial energy metabolism dysfunction. This study investigated differentially expressed genes (DEGs) related to this process.ObjectiveWe aimed to identify key mitochondrial energy metabolism-related DEGs in the blood of patients with AD, construct their regulatory networks, evaluate their diagnostic potential, and explore their link with the immune microenvironment.MethodsWe analyzed AD datasets from gene expression datasets (GEO) and mitochondrial genes from GeneCards using R to identify DEGs. Hub genes were screened via protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis. Functional enrichment analysis, gene ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG), gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA), and regulatory network construction (mRNA-miRNA, mRNA-TF) were performed. Immune infiltration and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses assessed immunological associations and diagnostic value.ResultsFifteen mitochondrial energy metabolism-related DEGs were identified. PPI analysis revealed nine hub genes. Regulatory networks were successfully constructed. ROC analysis confirmed the strong diagnostic potential of these hubs, which also showed significant correlations with eleven immune cell typesConclusionsWe developed an AD diagnostic framework based on mitochondrial metabolism DEGs. These findings reveal mitochondrial-immune interactions in AD and provide novel candidate biomarkers for early diagnosis.