Statistical Analysis
For data analysis, a MS-Excel sheet was downloaded from the
manufacturer’s website (https://www.qiagen.com) NormFinder
(https://moma.dk/normfinder-software) was used to select the best
housekeeping genes for normalization. ACTB and HPRT1 were found as the
most stable combination of housekeeping genes in the patients and non-CF
control subjects. Gene expression results were calculated using the
2-ΔΔCT method. Unpaired student t-test was performed
to compare differentially expressed genes between mild/severe siblings
and patients/healthy controls (p≤0.05, 2-fold change (FC)). The pathway
enrichment analysis was performed using WebGestalt tool.
(http://www.webgestalt.org/).