Identification and validation of MYC as an autophagy-related gene for diagnosis and immune infiltration in sepsis-induced myocardial dysfunction

BACKGROUND: Sepsis-induced myocardial dysfunction (SIMD) is a frequent consequence in septic patients and is correlated with higher mortality. Recent research suggests that activating autophagy might alleviate SIMD. Thus, this study aims to identify the autophagy-related gene (ARG) and assess its diagnostic value in SIMD patients. METHODS: We conducted a sequential and extensive bioinformatics analysis of human SIMD transcriptome data from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Target ARG in SIMD were identified through weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA), differential expression analysis, and protein-protein interaction (PPI) network construction. The diagnostic value of the key ARG and its association with immune cell infiltration were evaluated. The role of target ARG in SIMD was validated using a lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced cell SMID model. RESULTS: group, and MYC was correlated with the infiltration of immune cells in SIMD patients. In an LPS-induced SIMD cellular model, Myc knockdown attenuated the LPS-induced enhancement of autophagic flux. CONCLUSION: We identified MYC, an autophagy-related gene, as a potential diagnostic marker for SIMD, offering insights into autophagic mechanisms and informing future diagnostic approaches.