Fig. 5

PPI network construction and hub gene selection. A The whole PPI network of 44 uremia-related DEGs in USCP was visualized via String. The remaining 55 DEGs were eliminated due to a lack of interaction. B–D With the CytoHubba plug-in of Cytoscape, we selected the top 30 DEGs were selected using three different algorithms. Panels B–D illustrate betweenness, closeness, and degree algorithms. In the algorithm, darker colors indicate more significant weights. E Based on the intersection of genes from the three algorithms, 20 DEGs were chosen for further analysis. PPI protein–protein interaction network, DEGs differentially expressed genes, USCP unstable carotid plaque