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Islam T, Rezanur Rahman M, Khan A, Ali Moni M. Integration of Mendelian randomisation and systems biology models to identify novel blood-based biomarkers for stroke. J Biomed Inform 2023; 141:104345. [PMID: 36958462 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbi.2023.104345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2022] [Revised: 02/04/2023] [Accepted: 03/16/2023] [Indexed: 03/25/2023]
Abstract
Stroke is the second largest cause of mortality in the world. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified some genetic variants associated with stroke risk, but their putative functional causal genes are unknown. Hence, we aimed to identify putative functional causal gene biomarkers of stroke risk. We used a summary-based Mendelian randomisation (SMR) approach to identify the pleiotropic associations of genetically regulated traits (i.e., gene expression and DNA methylation) with stroke risk. Using SMR approach, we integrated cis-expression quantitative loci (cis-eQTLs) and cis-methylation quantitative loci (cis-mQTLs) data with GWAS summary statistics of stroke. We also utilised heterogeneity in dependent instruments (HEIDI) test to distinguish pleiotropy from linkage from the observed associations identified through SMR analysis. Our integrative SMR analyses and HEIDI test revealed 45 candidate biomarker genes (FDR < 0.05; PHEIDI>0.01) that were pleiotropically or potentially causally associated with stroke risk. Of those candidate biomarker genes, 10 genes (HTRA1, PMF1, FBN2, C9orf84, COL4A1, BAG4, NEK6, SH2B3, SH3PXD2A, ACAD10) were differentially expressed in genome-wide blood transcriptomics data from stroke and healthy individuals (FDR<0.05). Functional enrichment analysis of the identified candidate biomarker genes revealed gene ontologies and pathways involved in stroke, including "cell aging", "metal ion binding" and "oxidative damage". Based on the evidence of genetically regulated expression of genes through SMR and directly measured expression of genes in blood, our integrative analysis suggests ten genes as blood biomarkers of stroke risk. Furthermore, our study provides a better understanding of the influence of DNA methylation on the expression of genes linked to stroke risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tania Islam
- School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Faculty of Health, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Md Rezanur Rahman
- Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Asaduzzaman Khan
- School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Faculty of Health, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Mohammad Ali Moni
- School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Faculty of Health, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia.
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Li Y, Nieuwenhuis LM, Keating BJ, Festen EA, de Meijer VE. The Impact of Donor and Recipient Genetic Variation on Outcomes After Solid Organ Transplantation: A Scoping Review and Future Perspectives. Transplantation 2022; 106:1548-1557. [PMID: 34974452 PMCID: PMC9311456 DOI: 10.1097/tp.0000000000004042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2021] [Revised: 11/16/2021] [Accepted: 11/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
At the outset of solid organ transplantation, genetic variation between donors and recipients was recognized as a major player in mechanisms such as allograft tolerance and rejection. Genome-wide association studies have been very successful in identifying novel variant-trait associations, but have been difficult to perform in the field of solid organ transplantation due to complex covariates, era effects, and poor statistical power for detecting donor-recipient interactions. To overcome a lack of statistical power, consortia such as the International Genetics and Translational Research in Transplantation Network have been established. Studies have focused on the consequences of genetic dissimilarities between donors and recipients and have reported associations between polymorphisms in candidate genes or their regulatory regions with transplantation outcomes. However, knowledge on the exact influence of genetic variation is limited due to a lack of comprehensive characterization and harmonization of recipients' or donors' phenotypes and validation using an experimental approach. Causal research in genetics has evolved from agnostic discovery in genome-wide association studies to functional annotation and clarification of underlying molecular mechanisms in translational studies. In this overview, we summarize how the recent advances and progresses in the field of genetics and genomics have improved the understanding of outcomes after solid organ transplantation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanni Li
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
- Department of Genetics, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Lianne M. Nieuwenhuis
- Department of Surgery, section of Hepatobiliary Surgery and Liver Transplantation, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Brendan J. Keating
- Department of Surgery, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Eleonora A.M. Festen
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Vincent E. de Meijer
- Department of Surgery, section of Hepatobiliary Surgery and Liver Transplantation, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
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Zong Y, Li X. Identification of Causal Genes of COVID-19 Using the SMR Method. Front Genet 2021; 12:690349. [PMID: 34290742 PMCID: PMC8287881 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2021.690349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2021] [Accepted: 05/07/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Since the first report of COVID-19 in December 2019, more than 100 million people have been infected with SARS-CoV-2. Despite ongoing research, there is still limited knowledge about the genetic causes of COVID-19. To resolve this problem, we applied the SMR method to analyze the genes involved in COVID-19 pathogenesis by the integration of multiple omics data. Here, we assessed the SNPs associated with COVID-19 risk from the GWAS data of Spanish and Italian patients and lung eQTL data from the GTEx project. Then, GWAS and eQTL data were integrated by summary-data-based (SMR) methods using SNPs as instrumental variables (IVs). As a result, six protein-coding and five non-protein-coding genes regulated by nine SNPs were identified as significant risk factors for COVID-19. Functional analysis of these genes showed that UQCRH participates in cardiac muscle contraction, PPA2 is closely related to sudden cardiac failure (SCD), and OGT, as the interacting gene partner of PANO1, is associated with neurological disease. Observational studies show that myocardial damage, SCD, and neurological disease often occur in COVID-19 patients. Thus, our findings provide a potential molecular mechanism for understanding the complications of COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Zong
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Yiwu Central Hospital, Jinhua, China
| | - Xiaofei Li
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Yiwu Central Hospital, Jinhua, China
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Vlachavas EI, Bohn J, Ückert F, Nürnberg S. A Detailed Catalogue of Multi-Omics Methodologies for Identification of Putative Biomarkers and Causal Molecular Networks in Translational Cancer Research. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:2822. [PMID: 33802234 PMCID: PMC8000236 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22062822] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2021] [Revised: 03/05/2021] [Accepted: 03/05/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent advances in sequencing and biotechnological methodologies have led to the generation of large volumes of molecular data of different omics layers, such as genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics. Integration of these data with clinical information provides new opportunities to discover how perturbations in biological processes lead to disease. Using data-driven approaches for the integration and interpretation of multi-omics data could stably identify links between structural and functional information and propose causal molecular networks with potential impact on cancer pathophysiology. This knowledge can then be used to improve disease diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, and therapy. This review will summarize and categorize the most current computational methodologies and tools for integration of distinct molecular layers in the context of translational cancer research and personalized therapy. Additionally, the bioinformatics tools Multi-Omics Factor Analysis (MOFA) and netDX will be tested using omics data from public cancer resources, to assess their overall robustness, provide reproducible workflows for gaining biological knowledge from multi-omics data, and to comprehensively understand the significantly perturbed biological entities in distinct cancer types. We show that the performed supervised and unsupervised analyses result in meaningful and novel findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Efstathios Iason Vlachavas
- Medical Informatics for Translational Oncology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), 69120 Heidelberg, Germany; (J.B.); (F.Ü.)
| | - Jonas Bohn
- Medical Informatics for Translational Oncology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), 69120 Heidelberg, Germany; (J.B.); (F.Ü.)
| | - Frank Ückert
- Medical Informatics for Translational Oncology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), 69120 Heidelberg, Germany; (J.B.); (F.Ü.)
- Applied Medical Informatics, University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20251 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Sylvia Nürnberg
- Medical Informatics for Translational Oncology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), 69120 Heidelberg, Germany; (J.B.); (F.Ü.)
- Applied Medical Informatics, University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20251 Hamburg, Germany
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Song Y, Choi JE, Kwon YJ, Chang HJ, Kim JO, Park DH, Park JM, Kim SJ, Lee JW, Hong KW. Identification of susceptibility loci for cardiovascular disease in adults with hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidemia. J Transl Med 2021; 19:85. [PMID: 33632238 PMCID: PMC7905883 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-021-02751-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2020] [Accepted: 02/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Hypertension (HTN), diabetes mellitus (DM), and dyslipidemia (DL) are well-known risk factors of cardiovascular disease (CVD), but not all patients develop CVDs. Studies have been limited investigating genetic risk of CVDs specific to individuals with metabolic diseases. This study aimed to identify disease-specific and/or common genetic loci associated with CVD susceptibility in chronic metabolic disease patients. METHODS We conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of a multiple case-control design with data from the City Cohort within Health EXAminees subcohort of the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study (KoGES_HEXA). KoGES_HEXA is a population-based prospective cohort of 173,357 urban Korean adults that had health examinations at medical centers. 42,393 participants (16,309 HTN; 5,314 DM; 20,770 DL) were analyzed, and each metabolic disease group was divided into three CVD case-controls: coronary artery disease (CAD), ischemic stroke (IS), and cardio-cerebrovascular disease (CCD). GWASs were conducted for each case-control group with 7,975,321 imputed single nucleotide polymorphisms using the Phase 3 Asian panel from 1000 Genomes Project, by logistic regression and controlled for confounding variables. Genome-wide significant levels were implemented to identify important susceptibility loci. RESULTS Totaling 42,393 individuals, this study included 16,309 HTN (mean age [SD], 57.28 [7.45]; 816 CAD, 398 IS, and 1,185 CCD cases), 5,314 DM (57.79 [7.39]; 361 CAD, 153 IS, and 497 CCD cases), and 20,770 DL patients (55.34 [7.63]; 768 CAD, 295 IS, and 1,039 CCD cases). Six genome-wide significant CVD risk loci were identified, with relatively large effect sizes: 1 locus in HTN (HTN-CAD: 17q25.3/CBX8-CBX4 [OR, 2.607; P = 6.37 × 10-9]), 2 in DM (DM-IS: 4q32.3/MARCH1-LINC01207 [OR, 5.587; P = 1.34 × 10-8], and DM-CCD: 17q25.3/RPTOR [OR, 3.511; P = 1.99 × 10-8]), and 3 in DL (DL-CAD: 9q22.2/UNQ6494-LOC101927847 [OR, 2.282; P = 7.78 × 10-9], DL-IS: 3p22.1/ULK4 [OR, 2.162; P = 2.97 × 10-8], and DL-CCD: 2p22.2/CYP1B1-CYP1B1-AS1 [OR, 2.027; P = 4.24 × 10-8]). CONCLUSIONS This study identified 6 susceptibility loci and positional candidate genes for CVDs in HTN, DM, and DL patients using an unprecedented study design. 1 locus (17q25.3) was commonly associated with CAD. These associations warrant validation in additional studies for potential therapeutic applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Youhyun Song
- Department of Family Medicine, Gangnam Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, 211, Eonju-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, 06273, Korea
| | - Ja-Eun Choi
- Healthcare R&D Division, Theragen Bio Co., Ltd., Gwanggyo-ro 145, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do, 16229, Republic of Korea
| | - Yu-Jin Kwon
- Department of Family Medicine, Yongin Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, 363, Dongbaekjukjeon-daero, Giheung-gu, Yongin-si, 16995, Gyeonggi-do, Korea
| | - Hyuk-Jae Chang
- Division of Cardiology, Severance Cardiovascular Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, 50-1, Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, 03722, Korea
| | - Jung Oh Kim
- Healthcare R&D Division, Theragen Bio Co., Ltd., Gwanggyo-ro 145, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do, 16229, Republic of Korea
| | - Da-Hyun Park
- Healthcare R&D Division, Theragen Bio Co., Ltd., Gwanggyo-ro 145, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do, 16229, Republic of Korea
| | - Jae-Min Park
- Department of Family Medicine, Gangnam Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, 211, Eonju-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, 06273, Korea
| | - Seong-Jin Kim
- Healthcare R&D Division, Theragen Bio Co., Ltd., Gwanggyo-ro 145, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do, 16229, Republic of Korea
| | - Ji Won Lee
- Department of Family Medicine, Gangnam Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, 211, Eonju-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, 06273, Korea.
| | - Kyung-Won Hong
- Healthcare R&D Division, Theragen Bio Co., Ltd., Gwanggyo-ro 145, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do, 16229, Republic of Korea.
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