We used the top 20 genes correlated with Cd14 expression to create a Cd14 gene network. Several genes in the Cd14 gene network showed significant changes in expression after ethanol treatment in our experiment. These genes included Aif1, Cd68, Il18, Ly86, and Cd14. We further verified these changes using RT-PCR after analysis of our data. Four out of these 5 genes (Cd68, Il18, Ly86, and Cd14) have been confirmed to have significant changes in expression after ethanol treatment. Among these genes with ethanol-related changes in gene expression, only IL18 was significantly correlated with ethanol based on previous literature. We present these genes as potential players in the Cd14 gene network and its involvement in regulating ethanol’s effects on the immune system. Interleukin 18 (Il18) is a proinflammatory cytokine involved in cell immunity. IL18 responds to LPS, and its secretion is CD14-dependent [40], but ethanol has been found to reduce LPS-stimulated secretion of IL18 [41].
