A meta-analysis to identify novel diagnostic and therapeutic targets for Dupuytren's disease.

The aim of this study was to determine novel candidate genes for Dupuytren's disease by performing a meta-analysis. We identified 261 genes (111 up-regulated and 150 down-regulated) that were consistently expressed differentially in Dupuytren's disease across the studies. We performed functional enrichment on total sets of the identified 261 genes and confirmed that most of the genes were closely related to common processes of diseases in general. From the integrated studies of the gene-correlation network and the protein-protein interaction network, we identified three functional modules in the gene co-expression network and four hub gene clusters in the protein-protein interaction network that shared the same genes and represented similar biological functions, implying that the seven groups identified in the systematic analysis of these two networks might be involved in the pathogenesis of Dupuytren's disease. This work demonstrates potential in developing experimental and clinical strategies for understanding and treating Dupuytren's disease.