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Duan QQ, Wang H, Su WM, Gu XJ, Shen XF, Jiang Z, Ren YL, Cao B, Li GB, Wang Y, Chen YP. TBK1, a prioritized drug repurposing target for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: evidence from druggable genome Mendelian randomization and pharmacological verification in vitro. BMC Med 2024; 22:96. [PMID: 38443977 PMCID: PMC10916235 DOI: 10.1186/s12916-024-03314-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2023] [Accepted: 02/23/2024] [Indexed: 03/07/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND There is a lack of effective therapeutic strategies for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS); therefore, drug repurposing might provide a rapid approach to meet the urgent need for treatment. METHODS To identify therapeutic targets associated with ALS, we conducted Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis and colocalization analysis using cis-eQTL of druggable gene and ALS GWAS data collections to determine annotated druggable gene targets that exhibited significant associations with ALS. By subsequent repurposing drug discovery coupled with inclusion criteria selection, we identified several drug candidates corresponding to their druggable gene targets that have been genetically validated. The pharmacological assays were then conducted to further assess the efficacy of genetics-supported repurposed drugs for potential ALS therapy in various cellular models. RESULTS Through MR analysis, we identified potential ALS druggable genes in the blood, including TBK1 [OR 1.30, 95%CI (1.19, 1.42)], TNFSF12 [OR 1.36, 95%CI (1.19, 1.56)], GPX3 [OR 1.28, 95%CI (1.15, 1.43)], TNFSF13 [OR 0.45, 95%CI (0.32, 0.64)], and CD68 [OR 0.38, 95%CI (0.24, 0.58)]. Additionally, we identified potential ALS druggable genes in the brain, including RESP18 [OR 1.11, 95%CI (1.07, 1.16)], GPX3 [OR 0.57, 95%CI (0.48, 0.68)], GDF9 [OR 0.77, 95%CI (0.67, 0.88)], and PTPRN [OR 0.17, 95%CI (0.08, 0.34)]. Among them, TBK1, TNFSF12, RESP18, and GPX3 were confirmed in further colocalization analysis. We identified five drugs with repurposing opportunities targeting TBK1, TNFSF12, and GPX3, namely fostamatinib (R788), amlexanox (AMX), BIIB-023, RG-7212, and glutathione as potential repurposing drugs. R788 and AMX were prioritized due to their genetic supports, safety profiles, and cost-effectiveness evaluation. Further pharmacological analysis revealed that R788 and AMX mitigated neuroinflammation in ALS cell models characterized by overly active cGAS/STING signaling that was induced by MSA-2 or ALS-related toxic proteins (TDP-43 and SOD1), through the inhibition of TBK1 phosphorylation. CONCLUSIONS Our MR analyses provided genetic evidence supporting TBK1, TNFSF12, RESP18, and GPX3 as druggable genes for ALS treatment. Among the drug candidates targeting the above genes with repurposing opportunities, FDA-approved drug-R788 and AMX served as effective TBK1 inhibitors. The subsequent pharmacological studies validated the potential of R788 and AMX for treating specific ALS subtypes through the inhibition of TBK1 phosphorylation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qing-Qing Duan
- Department of Neurology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
- Institute of Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Technology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Sichuan, Chengdu,, 610041, China
- Rare Disease Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Sichuan, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Han Wang
- Department of Pathophysiology, West China College of Basic Medical Sciences and Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Sichuan, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Wei-Ming Su
- Department of Neurology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
- Institute of Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Technology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Sichuan, Chengdu,, 610041, China
- Rare Disease Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Sichuan, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Xiao-Jing Gu
- Mental Health Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Sichuan, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Xiao-Fei Shen
- TCM Regulating Metabolic Diseases Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, 610072, China
| | - Zheng Jiang
- Department of Neurology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
- Institute of Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Technology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Sichuan, Chengdu,, 610041, China
- Rare Disease Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Sichuan, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Yan-Ling Ren
- Department of Pathophysiology, West China College of Basic Medical Sciences and Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Sichuan, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Bei Cao
- Department of Neurology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
- Institute of Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Technology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Sichuan, Chengdu,, 610041, China
- Rare Disease Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Sichuan, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Guo-Bo Li
- Key Laboratory of Drug Targeting and Drug Delivery System of Ministry of Education, West China School of Pharmacy, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Yi Wang
- Department of Pathophysiology, West China College of Basic Medical Sciences and Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Sichuan, Chengdu, 610041, China.
| | - Yong-Ping Chen
- Department of Neurology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
- Institute of Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Technology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Sichuan, Chengdu,, 610041, China.
- Rare Disease Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Sichuan, Chengdu, 610041, China.
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Udine E, Jain A, van Blitterswijk M. Advances in sequencing technologies for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis research. Mol Neurodegener 2023; 18:4. [PMID: 36635726 PMCID: PMC9838075 DOI: 10.1186/s13024-022-00593-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2022] [Accepted: 12/23/2022] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is caused by upper and lower motor neuron loss and has a fairly rapid disease progression, leading to fatality in an average of 2-5 years after symptom onset. Numerous genes have been implicated in this disease; however, many cases remain unexplained. Several technologies are being used to identify regions of interest and investigate candidate genes. Initial approaches to detect ALS genes include, among others, linkage analysis, Sanger sequencing, and genome-wide association studies. More recently, next-generation sequencing methods, such as whole-exome and whole-genome sequencing, have been introduced. While those methods have been particularly useful in discovering new ALS-linked genes, methodological advances are becoming increasingly important, especially given the complex genetics of ALS. Novel sequencing technologies, like long-read sequencing, are beginning to be used to uncover the contribution of repeat expansions and other types of structural variation, which may help explain missing heritability in ALS. In this review, we discuss how popular and/or upcoming methods are being used to discover ALS genes, highlighting emerging long-read sequencing platforms and their role in aiding our understanding of this challenging disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evan Udine
- grid.417467.70000 0004 0443 9942Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, 4500 San Pablo Road S, Jacksonville, FL 32224 USA ,grid.417467.70000 0004 0443 9942Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, 4500 San Pablo Road S, Jacksonville, FL 32224 USA
| | - Angita Jain
- grid.417467.70000 0004 0443 9942Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, 4500 San Pablo Road S, Jacksonville, FL 32224 USA ,grid.417467.70000 0004 0443 9942Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, 4500 San Pablo Road S, Jacksonville, FL 32224 USA ,grid.417467.70000 0004 0443 9942Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences, Mayo Clinic, 4500 San Pablo Road S, Jacksonville, FL 32224 USA
| | - Marka van Blitterswijk
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, 4500 San Pablo Road S, Jacksonville, FL, 32224, USA.
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Wang W, Ou Z, Peng J, Zhou Y, Wang N. A transcriptome-wide association study provides new insights into the etiology of osteoarthritis. ANNALS OF TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE 2022; 10:1116. [PMID: 36388797 PMCID: PMC9652510 DOI: 10.21037/atm-22-4471] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2022] [Accepted: 10/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Background Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common clinical disease caused by a variety of factors, including genetic variants. Although genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have been performed to elucidate the genetic basis of OA, some loci of risk located in noncoding regions of the genome have been neglected. Therefore, we integrated multiple data types to detect the genetic component of gene expression in OA patients through transcriptome-wide association studies (TWAS) and summary-data-based Mendelian randomization (SMR) analysis. Methods TWAS was performed by integrating the larger GWAS summary-data for OA (n=30,727 cases, n=297,191 controls) and 2 expression weight sets (muscle-skeletal tissue and whole blood). Colocalization analysis, conditional analysis, and fine-mapping analysis were also conducted. A broad description of the identified associations was obtained. In addition, a causal relationship between certain risk genes and OA was identified with SMR. Results New significant genome-wide associations were found, including on chromosome 1q36.12 (rs1555024, P=4.24E-07) near the ASAP3 and TCEA3 genes, on chromosome 17q24.2 (rs2521348, P=1.01E-06) near the ABCA9 gene, on chromosome 20q11.22 (rs224331, P=8.17E-09) near the UQCC1 and MYH7B genes, and on chromosome 21q21.3 (rs2832155, P=5.39E-08) near the RWDD2B gene. In addition, SMR results exhibited that upregulated UQCC1 and downregulated ASAP3 were associated with OA development and both had a significant causal relationship with OA. Conclusions We revealed some novel OA-associated genes and risk loci by integrating multiple data types and analysis methods, thus providing new clues for the study of genetic mechanisms of OA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weiwei Wang
- Department of Osteoarthritis and Sports Medicine, Ruikang Hospital Affiliated to Guangxi University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanning, China
| | - Zhixue Ou
- Department of Osteoarthritis and Sports Medicine, Guilin Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guilin, China
| | - Jianlan Peng
- Department of Osteoarthritis and Sports Medicine, Ruikang Hospital Affiliated to Guangxi University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanning, China
| | - Yi Zhou
- Department of Osteoarthritis and Sports Medicine, Ruikang Hospital Affiliated to Guangxi University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanning, China
| | - Ning Wang
- Department of Massage, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanning, China
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Feng R, Lu M, Yang Y, Luo P, Liu L, Xu K, Xu P. Genome- and transcriptome-wide association studies show that pulmonary embolism is associated with bone-forming proteins. Expert Rev Hematol 2022; 15:951-958. [PMID: 35848930 DOI: 10.1080/17474086.2022.2103534] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a leading cause of death in stroke patients and a severe health burden worldwide. There is a pressing need to understand the mechanisms by which it occurs and to identify at-risk patients efficiently and accurately. OBJECTIVES The aim of this paper was to analyze the genetic correlation between PE and human plasma proteins through genome-wide association study (GWAS) with transcriptome-wide association study (TWAS), in combination with mRNA expression profiling at three levels: DNA, RNA, and protein. METHODS First, based on data from GWAS in European populations, we performed a linkage disequilibrium score regression (LDSC) analysis of plasma proteins and PE in 3,283 individuals and additionally analyzed the genetic association between PE and fracture. Then, we performed a TWAS on PE GWAS data using skeletal muscle and blood for gene expression references. Finally, we validated the genetic correlation between PE and human plasma proteins by co-matching the genes encoding the identified proteins and those identified using TWAS with the differentially expressed genes obtained from mRNA expression profiling of PE (Figure1). RESULTS We identified five plasma proteins associated with PE, including hydroxycarboxylic acid receptor 2, defensin 118, and bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) 7, as well as a relationship between PE and fracture. Comparison of genes encoding these proteins with genes obtained from TWAS and then with differentially expressed genes obtained from PE mRNA expression profiling revealed that PE was highly correlated with the BMP family of genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruoyang Feng
- Department of Joint Surgery, HongHui Hospital, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shanxi, 710054, China
| | - Mengnan Lu
- Department of Pediatrics, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Yanni Yang
- Shaanxi University of Chinese Medicine, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Pan Luo
- Department of Joint Surgery, HongHui Hospital, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shanxi, 710054, China
| | - Lin Liu
- Department of Joint Surgery, HongHui Hospital, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shanxi, 710054, China
| | - Ke Xu
- Department of Joint Surgery, HongHui Hospital, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shanxi, 710054, China
| | - Peng Xu
- Department of Joint Surgery, HongHui Hospital, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shanxi, 710054, China
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Pan S, Liu X, Liu T, Zhao Z, Dai Y, Wang YY, Jia P, Liu F. Causal Inference of Genetic Variants and Genes in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Front Genet 2022; 13:917142. [PMID: 35812739 PMCID: PMC9257137 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2022.917142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2022] [Accepted: 05/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal progressive multisystem disorder with limited therapeutic options. Although genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have revealed multiple ALS susceptibility loci, the exact identities of causal variants, genes, cell types, tissues, and their functional roles in the development of ALS remain largely unknown. Here, we reported a comprehensive post-GWAS analysis of the recent large ALS GWAS (n = 80,610), including functional mapping and annotation (FUMA), transcriptome-wide association study (TWAS), colocalization (COLOC), and summary data-based Mendelian randomization analyses (SMR) in extensive multi-omics datasets. Gene property analysis highlighted inhibitory neuron 6, oligodendrocytes, and GABAergic neurons (Gad1/Gad2) as functional cell types of ALS and confirmed cerebellum and cerebellar hemisphere as functional tissues of ALS. Functional annotation detected the presence of multiple deleterious variants at three loci (9p21.2, 12q13.3, and 12q14.2) and highlighted a list of SNPs that are potentially functional. TWAS, COLOC, and SMR identified 43 genes at 24 loci, including 23 novel genes and 10 novel loci, showing significant evidence of causality. Integrating multiple lines of evidence, we further proposed that rs2453555 at 9p21.2 and rs229243 at 14q12 functionally contribute to the development of ALS by regulating the expression of C9orf72 in pituitary and SCFD1 in skeletal muscle, respectively. Together, these results advance our understanding of the biological etiology of ALS, feed into new therapies, and provide a guide for subsequent functional experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siyu Pan
- CAS Key Laboratory of Genomic and Precision Medicine, Beijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy of Sciences and China National Center for Bioinformation, Beijing, China
- College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xinxuan Liu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Genomic and Precision Medicine, Beijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy of Sciences and China National Center for Bioinformation, Beijing, China
- School of Future Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Tianzi Liu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Genomic and Precision Medicine, Beijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy of Sciences and China National Center for Bioinformation, Beijing, China
| | - Zhongming Zhao
- Center for Precision Health, School of Biomedical Informatics, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Yulin Dai
- Center for Precision Health, School of Biomedical Informatics, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Yin-Ying Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Genomic and Precision Medicine, Beijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy of Sciences and China National Center for Bioinformation, Beijing, China
| | - Peilin Jia
- CAS Key Laboratory of Genomic and Precision Medicine, Beijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy of Sciences and China National Center for Bioinformation, Beijing, China
- *Correspondence: Fan Liu, ; Peilin Jia,
| | - Fan Liu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Genomic and Precision Medicine, Beijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy of Sciences and China National Center for Bioinformation, Beijing, China
- School of Future Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- *Correspondence: Fan Liu, ; Peilin Jia,
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Bottero V, Santiago JA, Quinn JP, Potashkin JA. Key Disease Mechanisms Linked to Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis in Spinal Cord Motor Neurons. Front Mol Neurosci 2022; 15:825031. [PMID: 35370543 PMCID: PMC8965442 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2022.825031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2021] [Accepted: 02/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease with no modifying treatments available. The molecular mechanisms underpinning disease pathogenesis are not fully understood. Recent studies have employed co-expression networks to identify key genes, known as “switch genes”, responsible for dramatic transcriptional changes in the blood of ALS patients. In this study, we directly investigate the root cause of ALS by examining the changes in gene expression in motor neurons that degenerate in patients. Co-expression networks identified in ALS patients’ spinal cord motor neurons revealed 610 switch genes in seven independent microarrays. Switch genes were enriched in several pathways, including viral carcinogenesis, PI3K-Akt, focal adhesion, proteoglycans in cancer, colorectal cancer, and thyroid hormone signaling. Transcription factors ELK1 and GATA2 were identified as key master regulators of the switch genes. Protein-chemical network analysis identified valproic acid, cyclosporine, estradiol, acetaminophen, quercetin, and carbamazepine as potential therapeutics for ALS. Furthermore, the chemical analysis identified metals and organic compounds including, arsenic, copper, nickel, and benzo(a)pyrene as possible mediators of neurodegeneration. The identification of switch genes provides insights into previously unknown biological pathways associated with ALS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Virginie Bottero
- Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases and Therapeutics, Discipline of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, North Chicago, IL, United States
| | | | | | - Judith A. Potashkin
- Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases and Therapeutics, Discipline of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, North Chicago, IL, United States
- *Correspondence: Judy A. Potashkin
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