Among the top upregulated DEGs, notable markers included MMP7, a metalloproteinase involved in extracellular matrix (ECM) degradation and biomarker of pulmonary fibrosis; KRT17, an epithelial basal cell marker overexpressed in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis; and SPP1, a biomarker of IPF. Here, MMP7 is linked to idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.