| Objective This study aimed to identify core genes associated with postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMOP) and to predict interactive micro-ribonucleic acids (miRNAs). Methods Select NCBI gene expression comprehensive database gene chip GSE57273, the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were picked using GEO2R tool from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database and Morpheus. Gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses were performed for DEGs using the Database for Annotation, Visualization and Integrated Discovery (DAVID). Then, Cytoscape, Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes (STRING) and Molecular Complex Detection (MCODE) were used to visualize protein-protein interaction (PPI) of these DEGs. Prediction of miRNA-gene regulatory modules was performed to build new research hypotheses using CyTargetLinker. Results 841 DEGs were obtained. GO terms and pathways were found enriched in DEGs, including gene expression, cellular macromolecule biosynthetic process, RNA metabolic process, pathways in cancer, viral carcinogenesis, focal adhesion, rap1 signaling pathway and protein processing in endoplasmic reticulum. PPI network was developed with 523 nodes and 2026 edges. Three important modules were identified from PPI network. 10 genes were selected as core genes because of high degrees, including HSP90AA1, EP300, SMARCA2, RANBP2, ASH1L, EIF4E, PTEN, CNOT6L, RPL7 and KRAS. Meanwhile, 37 miRNAs targeted with seven key genes were provided by CyTargetLinker. Conclusion The discovery of key genes and miRNAs might help to understand the pathophysiology of PMOP or provide therapeutic targets for the development of drugs. At the same time, it provides a basis for establishing new scientific hypotheses of PMOP through identifying the enrichment function of core genes. |