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Zhang L, Xiong Y, Zhang J, Feng Y, Xu A. Systematic proteome-wide Mendelian randomization using the human plasma proteome to identify therapeutic targets for lung adenocarcinoma. J Transl Med 2024; 22:330. [PMID: 38576019 PMCID: PMC10993587 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-024-04919-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2023] [Accepted: 01/21/2024] [Indexed: 04/06/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is the predominant histological subtype of lung cancer and the leading cause of cancer-related mortality. Identifying effective drug targets is crucial for advancing LUAD treatment strategies. METHODS This study employed proteome-wide Mendelian randomization (MR) and colocalization analyses. We collected data on 1394 plasma proteins from a protein quantitative trait loci (pQTL) study involving 4907 individuals. Genetic associations with LUAD were derived from the Transdisciplinary Research in Cancer of the Lung (TRICL) study, including 11,245 cases and 54,619 controls. We integrated pQTL and LUAD genome-wide association studies (GWASs) data to identify candidate proteins. MR utilizes single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) as genetic instruments to estimate the causal effect of exposure on outcome, while Bayesian colocalization analysis determines the probability of shared causal genetic variants between traits. Our study applied these methods to assess causality between plasma proteins and LUAD. Furthermore, we employed a two-step MR to quantify the proportion of risk factors mediated by proteins on LUAD. Finally, protein-protein interaction (PPI) analysis elucidated potential links between proteins and current LUAD medications. RESULTS We identified nine plasma proteins significantly associated with LUAD. Increased levels of ALAD, FLT1, ICAM5, and VWC2 exhibited protective effects, with odds ratios of 0.79 (95% CI 0.72-0.87), 0.39 (95% CI 0.28-0.55), 0.91 (95% CI 0.72-0.87), and 0.85 (95% CI 0.79-0.92), respectively. Conversely, MDGA2 (OR, 1.13; 95% CI 1.08-1.19), NTM (OR, 1.12; 95% CI 1.09-1.16), PMM2 (OR, 1.35; 95% CI 1.18-1.53), RNASET2 (OR, 1.15; 95% CI 1.08-1.21), and TFPI (OR, 4.58; 95% CI 3.02-6.94) increased LUAD risk. Notably, none of the nine proteins showed evidence of reverse causality. Bayesian colocalization indicated that RNASET2, TFPI, and VWC2 shared the same variant with LUAD. Furthermore, NTM and FLT1 demonstrated interactions with targets of current LUAD medications. Additionally, FLT1 and TFPI are currently under evaluation as therapeutic targets, while NTM, RNASET2, and VWC2 are potentially druggable. These findings shed light on LUAD pathogenesis, highlighting the tumor-promoting effects of RNASET2, TFPI, and NTM, along with the protective effects of VWC2 and FLT1, providing a significant biological foundation for future LUAD therapeutic targets. CONCLUSIONS Our proteome-wide MR analysis highlighted RNASET2, TFPI, VWC2, NTM, and FLT1 as potential drug targets for further clinical investigation in LUAD. However, the specific mechanisms by which these proteins influence LUAD remain elusive. Targeting these proteins in drug development holds the potential for successful clinical trials, providing a pathway to prioritize and reduce costs in LUAD therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Long Zhang
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
| | - Yajun Xiong
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
| | - Jie Zhang
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
| | - Yuying Feng
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
| | - Aiguo Xu
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China.
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Li H, Du S, Dai J, Jiang Y, Li Z, Fan Q, Zhang Y, You D, Zhang R, Zhao Y, Christiani DC, Shen S, Chen F. Proteome-wide Mendelian randomization identifies causal plasma proteins in lung cancer. iScience 2024; 27:108985. [PMID: 38333712 PMCID: PMC10850776 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.108985] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2023] [Revised: 11/17/2023] [Accepted: 01/17/2024] [Indexed: 02/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Plasma proteins are promising biomarkers and potential drug targets in lung cancer. To evaluate the causal association between plasma proteins and lung cancer, we performed proteome-wide Mendelian randomization meta-analysis (PW-MR-meta) based on lung cancer genome-wide association studies (GWASs), protein quantitative trait loci (pQTLs) of 4,719 plasma proteins in deCODE and 4,775 in Fenland. Further, causal-protein risk score (CPRS) was developed based on causal proteins and validated in the UK Biobank. 270 plasma proteins were identified using PW-MR meta-analysis, including 39 robust causal proteins (both FDR-q < 0.05) and 78 moderate causal proteins (FDR-q < 0.05 in one and p < 0.05 in another). The CPRS had satisfactory performance in risk stratification for lung cancer (top 10% CPRS:Hazard ratio (HR) (95%CI):4.33(2.65-7.06)). The CPRS [AUC (95%CI): 65.93 (62.91-68.78)] outperformed the traditional polygenic risk score (PRS) [AUC (95%CI): 55.71(52.67-58.59)]. Our findings offer further insight into the genetic architecture of plasma proteins for lung cancer susceptibility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongru Li
- Department of Biostatistics, Center for Global Health, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 211166, China
| | - Sha Du
- Department of Biostatistics, Center for Global Health, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 211166, China
- Jiangsu Key Lab of Cancer Biomarkers, Prevention and Treatment, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Personalized Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 211166, China
| | - Jinglan Dai
- Department of Biostatistics, Center for Global Health, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 211166, China
| | - Yunke Jiang
- Department of Biostatistics, Center for Global Health, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 211166, China
| | - Zaiming Li
- Department of Biostatistics, Center for Global Health, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 211166, China
| | - Qihan Fan
- Department of Biostatistics, Center for Global Health, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 211166, China
| | - Yixin Zhang
- Department of Biostatistics, Center for Global Health, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 211166, China
| | - Dongfang You
- Department of Biostatistics, Center for Global Health, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 211166, China
- China International Cooperation Center of Environment and Human Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 211166, China
| | - Ruyang Zhang
- Department of Biostatistics, Center for Global Health, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 211166, China
- Key Laboratory of Biomedical Big Data of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 211166, China
| | - Yang Zhao
- Department of Biostatistics, Center for Global Health, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 211166, China
- Key Laboratory of Biomedical Big Data of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 211166, China
| | - David C. Christiani
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Pulmonary and Critical Care Division, Massachusetts General Hospital, Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Sipeng Shen
- Department of Biostatistics, Center for Global Health, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 211166, China
- Jiangsu Key Lab of Cancer Biomarkers, Prevention and Treatment, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Personalized Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 211166, China
- Key Laboratory of Biomedical Big Data of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 211166, China
| | - Feng Chen
- Department of Biostatistics, Center for Global Health, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 211166, China
- Jiangsu Key Lab of Cancer Biomarkers, Prevention and Treatment, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Personalized Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 211166, China
- China International Cooperation Center of Environment and Human Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 211166, China
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