The 9 genes with significant closeness to the COPD localized neighborhood were: GPC4 (Z = −4.04), ESF1 (Z = −3.46), OSBPL8 (Z = −2.97), KIAA1430 (−2.93), ZNF768 (Z = −2.68), AP3D1 (Z = −2.00), ANKRD17 (Z = −1.96), NIP7 (-Z = 1.79) and RBM34 (Z = −1.77). Here, NIP7 is linked to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.