Shahid Beheshti University Journal of Sport and Exercise Physiology 2676-3710 17 4 2024 10 22 Bioinformatic analysis of gene networks and transcriptional pathway analysis of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in response to exercise training Bioinformatic analysis of gene networks and transcriptional pathway analysis of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in response to exercise training 115 138 105005 10.48308/joeppa.2024.236599.1288 FA Zahra Asheghi Department of Sport Sciences,University of Isfahan, Isfahan,Iran 0009-0007-0089-7857 Sayed Mohammad Marandi Department of Sport Sciences,University of Isfahan, Isfahan,Iran 0000-0003-3877-870X Journal Article 2024 08 14 Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is one of the most common causes of liver dysfunction, and its prevalence has increased significantly. Based on the research conducted, physical activity while increasing the expression of proteins such as peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARα) with increasing energy consumption causes a decrease in the accumulation of fat in the liver and thus affects NAFLD. The goal of the present study is to identify critical genes and key pathways associated with NAFLD, and to analyze the gene networks involved in this disease, alongside the impact of exercise on these pathways. Furthermore, bioinformatics analyses have been conducted to clarify the interactions between these genes and pathways. We determined the pathways by using the analyzed transcriptional data and hub genes involved in NAFLD-related pathways. Network cluster analysis confirmed the result of Gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis. The discovered genes are fatty acid synthase (FASN), acyl-CoA oxidase 1 (ACOX1), Sterol regulatory element-binding transcription factor 1 (SREBF1-c), PPARα, which are involved in the processes of pathogenesis or resistance to NAFLD. The results of this study provide a list of hub genes, important pathways and new insights for the future development of NAFLD treatment and elucidate the underlying mechanism of liver response to exercise. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is one of the most common causes of liver dysfunction, and its prevalence has increased significantly. Based on the research conducted, physical activity while increasing the expression of proteins such as peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARα) with increasing energy consumption causes a decrease in the accumulation of fat in the liver and thus affects NAFLD. The goal of the present study is to identify critical genes and key pathways associated with NAFLD, and to analyze the gene networks involved in this disease, alongside the impact of exercise on these pathways. Furthermore, bioinformatics analyses have been conducted to clarify the interactions between these genes and pathways. We determined the pathways by using the analyzed transcriptional data and hub genes involved in NAFLD-related pathways. Network cluster analysis confirmed the result of Gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis. The discovered genes are fatty acid synthase (FASN), acyl-CoA oxidase 1 (ACOX1), Sterol regulatory element-binding transcription factor 1 (SREBF1-c), PPARα, which are involved in the processes of pathogenesis or resistance to NAFLD. The results of this study provide a list of hub genes, important pathways and new insights for the future development of NAFLD treatment and elucidate the underlying mechanism of liver response to exercise. https://joeppa.sbu.ac.ir/article_105005_8f20d1ed304d673e52c9bd08a722c289.pdf