Identification of Natural Killer Cell-Related Genes as Potential Diagnostic Biomarkers for Pediatric Sepsis

Pediatric sepsis is a prevalent severe condition with a high disability rate and mortality. The purpose of this study was to investigate how NK cell-related genes (NKGs) function in the diagnosis of pediatric sepsis. Differential analysis and Venn analysis were utilized to screen differentially expressed NKGs (DE-NKGs) in pediatric sepsis. The PPI network of DE-NKGs was generated using STRING. Candidate drugs are predicted using the CMAP database. miRNA and transcription factor (TF) targeting hub genes were screened using the Networkanalyst website. A total of 22 DE-NKGs were identified, which were mainly enriched in immune-related biological processes. Ten hub genes that were filtered out from DE-NKGs exhibited good diagnostic performance. Immune infiltration analysis revealed that macrophages and neutrophils had higher infiltration abundance in the pediatric sepsis group, whereas NK cells had higher infiltration abundance in the normal group. NKGs (LCK, FCER1G, PRF1, CD247, GZMB, CD2, CCL4, KLRD1, CCL5, and ITGB2) with diagnostic performance were successfully predicted, and some potential miRNAs, TFs, and candidate drugs were also predicted. In conclusion, this study threw light on a comprehensive understanding of the role of NK cells in pediatric sepsis.