<p>RT-PCR Ct fold change.</p>

This study aimed to identify key genes involved in the pathogenesis of uveitis using bioinformatics approaches and to validate their expression in a rat model of experimental autoimmune uveitis (EAU). The GSE66936 microarray dataset, comprising transcriptomes of CD14 and CD16 monocytes from five patients with uveitis and four healthy donors, was downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus, and known uveitis-related targets were retrieved from six disease-gene databases.

Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified and subjected to Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses. A protein-protein interaction network was constructed using STRING, and hub genes were screened with Cytoscape and evaluated by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. EAU was induced in Sprague-Dawley rats by immunization with interphotoreceptor retinoid-binding protein (IRBP), and ocular inflammation was assessed by slit-lamp examination and histopathology.