Screening of a potential bioinformatics-based biomarker in keloid and its correlation with immune infiltration

Abstract Keloid is a pathological result caused by cutaneous injury and irritation, which is on account of excessive deposition of collagen matrix and the growth of fibrous tissue. Long term and uncontrolled chronic inflammation is also one of the main causes. The mechanism of its formation is not clear. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to find key genes for diagnosis. We selected two datasets from the GEO database to find DGEs. Then, we finally obtained one gene, HOXC9, via WGCNA analysis and two algorithms (LASSO and SVM-RFE). Next, we analyzed its expression in normal tissues versus keloid and studied its change over time by Mfuzz time clustering analysis. Finally, through the analysis of this gene and previous studies we realized that, in addition to cell proliferation, immune infiltration also plays a role during the process of keloid formation, and we then explored the infiltration of immune cells in the normal versus keloid groups and the relationship between this gene and them.