Expression network of 40 differentially regulated genes (DEGs) with inflammatory and immune functions in 12-month-old cochleae.

A web-based STRING database (https://string-db.org) computed a graphical representation of the mutual relationships of the 40 immune-related DEGs detected by the real-time RT-PCR array, based on their experimentally verified interactions, co-expressions, and co-citations in curated databases and PubMed abstracts. The figure shows that a transcription factor, Nfkb1, is upregulated in aged cochleae, and that NF-κB interacts with the genomic regulatory regions of the eight upregulated DEGs (Ccl5, Cxcl10, Cxcl9, Il1a, Lta, Ltb, Ptgs2, and Tnf) mutually associated in the expression network of the 40 immune-related DEGs in aged cochleae.