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Background:

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a type of arthritis which can cause inflammation in the vertebrae and joints between the spine and pelvis. However, our understanding of the exact genetic mechanisms of AS is still far from being clear.

Objective:

To study and find the mechanisms and possible biomarkers related to AS by surveying inter-gene correlations of networks.

Materials and Methods:

A weighted gene co-expression network was constructed among genes identified by microarray analysis, gene co-expression network analysis, and network clustering. Then receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were conducted to identify a significant module with the genes implicated in the AS pathogenesis. Real-time PCR was performed to validate the results of microarray analysis.

Results:

In the significant module obtained from the network analysis there were eight AS related genes (LSM3, MRPS11 …