Gene expression profiling of human kidneys undergoing laparoscopic donor nephrectomy.

Background And Objectives: The objective was to compare gene expression profiles of 6 kidneys from open donor nephrectomy with 6 kidneys removed after laparoscopic donor nephrectomy and several hours of carbon dioxide pneumoperitoneum with DNA microarrays and identify small-molecule drugs.

Methods: The gene expression profile GSE3297 was downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus database, and the differentially expressed genes were identified by a bioinformatics approach. First, Osprey software was used to construct a differentially expressed gene associated network. Then, DAVID (Database for Annotation, Visualization, and Integrated Discovery) and FuncAssociate were used to perform functional analyses. Finally, the Connectivity Map was used to screen for small-molecule drugs.

Results: A total of 285 differentially expressed genes were identified, including 148 down-regulated genes and 137 up-regulated genes. In addition, the differentially expressed genes in the most significant Gene Ontology term were CASP6, KRAS, SOCS1, ESR1, TSHB, COL1A1, and MMP14. Furthermore, several differentially expressed genes, including STAT1, STAT6, SOS2, and SOCS1, participated in the most remarkable Janus kinase-signal transducer and activator of transcription signaling pathway. Finally, luteolin--with the highest score (0.887)--was identified as the small-molecule drug.

Conclusions: Our data show an altered renal transcriptome induced by several hours of carbon dioxide pneumoperitoneum and laparoscopic surgery characterized by up-regulation of genes associated with acute inflammation, apoptosis, and immune injury, which could potentially result in renal injury and an enhanced immune response in the recipient after transplant.