The interaction between ethanol and the immune system is complicated and intricate, with many pathways and genes acting and interacting to regulate ethanol response. We found significant expression changes in the Cd14 gene, which is an essential part of the proinflammatory cytokine cascade and expressed primarily on macrophages. To further study this change, we identified GO categories for a gene set with significant correlations to Cd14 and a gene set with significant correlations to ethanol and Cd14. We also identified several pathways that may mediate ethanol’s response through Cd14 and constructed a possible gene network for Cd14. In this study, we present these pathways and gene network as part of ethanol responses in the immune system through Cd14. Further investigation is needed to elucidate the nature of these relationships. While Cd14 is recognized as a co-receptor of toll-like receptors, many of its other functions/roles are yet to be characterized. Our identification of genes in the Cd14 gene network and pathways may be a step toward identifying additional roles of Cd14.
