Inhibition of interleukin 6 signalling and renal function: A Mendelian randomization study.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Ryan DK
PROVIDER: S-EPMC8327328 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:BackgroundStudies on the relationship between renal function and the human plasma proteome have identified several potential biomarkers. However, investigations have been conducted largely in European populations, and causality of the associations between plasma proteins and kidney function has never been addressed.MethodsA cross-sectional study of 993 plasma proteins among 2,882 participants in four studies of European and admixed ancestries (KORA, INTERVAL, HUNT, QMDiab) identified trans-ethnic associations between eGFR/CKD and proteomic biomarkers. For the replicated associations, two-sample bidirectional Mendelian randomization (MR) was used to investigate potential causal relationships. Publicly available datasets and transcriptomic data from independent studies were used to examine the association between gene expression in kidney tissue and eGFR .ResultsFifty-seven plasma proteins were associated with eGFR, including one novel protein. Twenty-three of these were additionally associated with CKD. The strongest inferred causal effect was the positive effect of eGFR on testican-2, in line with the known biological role of this protein and the expression of its protein-coding gene (SPOCK2) in renal tissue. We also observed suggestive evidence of an effect of melanoma inhibitory activity (MIA), carbonic anhydrase III, and cystatin-M on eGFR.ConclusionsIn a discovery-replication setting, we identified 57 proteins trans-ethnically associated with eGFR. The revealed causal relationships are an important stepping-stone in establishing testican-2 as a clinically relevant physiological marker of kidney disease progression, and point to additional proteins warranting further investigation.
| S-EPMC8425654 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Background: Uncertainty in the mechanism and directionality of observational associations between thyroid function and kidney function may be addressed by genetic analysis with an instrumental variable method termed bidirectional Mendelian randomization (MR). Methods: In the Women's Genome Health Study (WGHS), observational associations between thyroid measures and kidney function were evaluated. Genetic instruments for MR were from recent genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of hypothyroidism, thyrotropin (TSH), and free thyroxine (fT4) concentrations within the reference range, thyroid peroxidase antibodies (TPOAb), estimated glomerular filtration rate from creatinine (eGFRcrea), eGFR from cystatin C (eGFRcys), and chronic kidney disease (CKD). In WGHS individual-level data, these instruments were used for bidirectional MR between thyroid (N?=?3336) and kidney (N?=?23,186) functions. To increase power, MR was also performed using GWAS summary statistics from the Chronic Kidney Disease Genetics Consortium (CKDGen) for eGFRcrea (N?=?567,460), eGFRcys (N?=?24,063), CKD [N(total)?=?480,698, N(cases)?=?41,395], and urinary albumin/creatinine ratio (UACR/N?=?54,450). Results: In the WGHS, hypothyroidism was observationally associated with decreased eGFRcrea [beta (standard error, SE): -0.024 (0.009) ln(mL/min/1.73?m2), p?=?0.01]. By MR, hypothyroidism was associated with decreased eGFRcrea in the WGHS [beta (SE): -0.007 (0.002) per doubled odds hypothyroidism, p?=?1.7?×?10-3] and in CKDGen [beta (SE): -0.004 (0.0005), p?=?2.0?×?10-22], and robust to sensitivity analysis. Hypothyroidism was also associated by MR with increased CKD in CKDGen (odds ratio, OR [confidence interval, CI]: 1.05 [1.03-1.08], p?=?3.3?×?10-5), but not in the WGHS (OR [CI]: 1.02 [0.95-1.10], p?=?0.57). Increased TSH within the reference range had an MR association with increased eGFRcrea in the WGHS [beta (SE): -0.018 (0.007) ln(mL/min/1.73?m2)/standard deviation, SD, p?=?6.5?×?10-3] and CKDGen [beta (SE): -0.008 (0.001) ln(mL/min/1.73?m2)/SD, p?=?6.8?×?10-17], and with CKD in CKDGen (OR [CI]: 1.10 [1.04-1.15], p?=?3.1?×?10-4). There were no MR associations of hypothyroidism or TSH with eGFRcys or UACR, and MR associations of fT4 in the reference range with kidney function were inconsistent in both the WGHS and CKDGen. However, by MR in CKDGen, TPOAb were robustly associated with decreased eGFRcrea [beta (SE): -0.041 (0.009), p?=?6.2?×?10-6] and decreased eGFRcys [beta (SE): -0.294 (0.065), p?=?6.2?×?10-6]. TPOAb were less robustly associated with CKD but not associated with UACR. In reverse MR in the WGHS, kidney function was not consistently associated with thyroid function. Conclusions: Bidirectional MR supports a directional association from hypothyroidism, increased TSH, and TPOAb, but not fT4, to decreased eGFRcrea and increased CKD.
| S-EPMC7074918 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The role of interleukin (IL)-1 family members/receptors in lung cancer remains uncertain due to the susceptibility of observed associations to confounding. We appraised the association of IL-1 family members/receptors with lung cancer and its subtypes [lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) and squamous cell lung cancer (LUSC)] using two-sample Mendelian randomization. This study found that no IL-1 family members/receptors were significantly associated with lung cancer and its subtypes risk after correction for multiple testing. However, suggestive total effects of increased risk were noted for genetically predicted IL-1Racp with lung cancer (P = 0.006), IL-1α with LUAD (P = 0.027), and IL-1Racp with LUSC (P = 0.008). Suggestive direct effects were also noted for IL-1β, IL-1Ra, IL-36γ with lung cancer, IL-1α/β, IL-1Ra with LUAD, and IL-1β, IL-18BP with LUSC, after adjusting for genetically predicted effects of other IL-1 family members/receptors. Taken together, our findings suggest that interventions decreasing IL-1Racp might protect against lung cancer, perhaps via IL-1α/β or IL-1Ra.
| S-EPMC8413403 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Background: Observational studies suggest that even minor variations in thyroid function are associated with the risk of mood disorders, including major depressive disorder (MDD) and bipolar disorder (BD). However, it is unknown whether these associations are causal or not. We used a Mendelian randomization (MR) approach to investigate causal effects of minor variations in thyrotropin (TSH) and free thyroxine (fT4) levels on MDD and BD risk. Materials and Methods: We performed two-sample MR analyses using data from the largest publicly available genome-wide association studies on normal-range TSH (n = 54,288) and fT4 (n = 49,269) levels, MDD (170,756 cases, 329,443 controls) and BD (20,352 cases, 31,358 controls). Secondary MR analyses investigated the effects of TSH and fT4 levels on specific MDD and BD subtypes. Reverse MR was also performed to assess the effects of MDD and BD on TSH and fT4 levels. Results: There were no associations between genetically predicted TSH and fT4 levels and MDD risk, nor MDD subtypes and minor depressive symptoms. A one standard deviation increase in fT4 levels was nominally associated with an 11% decrease in the overall BD risk (odds ratio [OR] = 0.89, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.80-0.98, p = 0.022) and a 13% decrease in the BD type 1 risk (OR = 0.87, CI = 0.75-1.00, p = 0.047). In the reverse direction, genetic predisposition to MDD and BD was not associated with TSH nor fT4 levels. Conclusions: Variations in normal-range TSH and fT4 levels have no effects on the risk of MDD and its subtypes, and neither on minor depressive symptoms. This indicates that depressive symptoms should not be attributed to minor variations in thyroid function. Borderline associations with BD and BD type 1 risks suggest that further clinical studies should investigate the effect of thyroid hormone treatment in BD.
| S-EPMC7612998 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism are observationally associated with sex hormone concentrations and sexual dysfunction, but causality is unclear. We investigated whether TSH, fT4, hypo- and hyperthyroidism are causally associated with sex hormones and sexual function. We used publicly available summary statistics from genome-wide association studies on TSH and fT4 and hypo- and hyperthyroidism from the ThyroidOmics Consortium (N ≤ 54,288). Outcomes from UK Biobank (women ≤ 194,174/men ≤ 167,020) and ReproGen (women ≤ 252,514) were sex hormones (sex hormone binding globulin [SHBG], testosterone, estradiol, free androgen index [FAI]) and sexual function (ovulatory function in women: duration of menstrual period, age at menarche and menopause, reproductive lifespan, and erectile dysfunction in men). We performed two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses on summary level, and unweighted genetic risk score (GRS) analysis on individual level data. One SD increase in TSH was associated with a 1.332 nmol/L lower (95% CI: - 0.717,- 1.946; p = 2 × 10-5) SHBG and a 0.103 nmol/l lower (- 0.051,V0.154; p = 9 × 10-5) testosterone in two-sample MR, supported by the GRS approach. Genetic predisposition to hypothyroidism was associated with decreased and genetic predisposition to hyperthyroidism with increased SHBG and testosterone in both approaches. The GRS for fT4 was associated with increased testosterone and estradiol in women only. The GRS for TSH and hypothyroidism were associated with increased and the GRS for hyperthyroidism with decreased FAI in men only. While genetically predicted thyroid function was associated with sex hormones, we found no association with sexual function.
| S-EPMC7612952 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Purpose: Emerging evidence suggests a potential role of interleukin-6 pathways-trans-signaling with soluble interleukin-6 receptors-in the asthma pathobiology. Despite the evidence for their associations with asthma, the causal role of soluble interleukin-6 receptors remains uncertain. We investigated the relations of soluble interleukin-6 receptors with asthma and its major phenotypes. Methods: We conducted a two-sample Mendelian randomization study. As genetic instruments, we selected 33 independent cis-acting variants strongly associated with the level of plasma soluble interleukin-6 receptor in the INTERVAL study. To investigate the association of variants with asthma and its phenotypes, we used genome-wide association study data from the UK Biobank. We combined variant-specific causal estimates by the inverse-variance weighted method for each outcome. Results: Genetically-instrumented soluble interleukin-6 receptor level was associated with a significantly higher risk of overall asthma (OR per one standard deviation increment in inverse-rank normalized soluble interleukin-6 receptor level, 1.02; 95%CI, 1.01-1.03; P = 0.004). Sensitivity analyses demonstrated consistent results and indicated no directional pleiotropy-e.g., MR-Egger (OR, 1.03; 95%CI, 1.01-1.05; P = 0.002; P intercept =0.37). In the stratified analysis, the significant association persisted across asthma phenotypes-e.g., childhood asthma (OR, 1.05; 95%CI, 1.02-1.08; P < 0.001) and obese asthma (OR, 1.02; 95%CI 1.01-1.03; P = 0.007). Sensitivity analysis using 16 variants selected with different thresholds also demonstrated significant associations with overall asthma and its phenotypes. Conclusion: Genetically-instrumented soluble interleukin-6 receptor level was causally associated with modestly but significantly higher risks of asthma and its phenotypes. Our observations support further investigations into identifying specific endotypes in which interleukin-6 pathways may play major roles.
| S-EPMC8071981 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundDespite the potential demonstrated by targeted plasma metabolite modulators in halting the progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD), a lingering uncertainty persists concerning the causal relationship between distinct plasma metabolites and the onset and progression of CKD.MethodsA genome-wide association study was conducted on 1,091 metabolites and 309 metabolite ratios derived from a cohort of 8,299 unrelated individuals of European descent. Employing a bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis in conjunction with colocalization analysis, we systematically investigated the associations between these metabolites and three phenotypes: CKD, creatinine-estimated glomerular filtration rate (creatinine-eGFR), and urine albumin creatinine ratio (UACR). In the MR analysis, the primary analytical approach employed was inverse variance weighting (IVW), and sensitivity analysis was executed utilizing the MR-Egger method and MR-pleiotropy residual sum and outlier (MR-PRESSO). Heterogeneity was carefully evaluated through Cochrane's Q test. To ensure the robustness of our MR results, the leave-one-out method was implemented, and the strength of causal relationships was subjected to scrutiny via Bonferroni correction.ResultsOur thorough MR analysis involving 1,400 plasma metabolites and three clinical phenotypes yielded a discerning identification of 21 plasma metabolites significantly associated with diverse outcomes. Specifically, in the forward MR analysis, 6 plasma metabolites were determined to be causally associated with CKD, 16 with creatinine-eGFR, and 7 with UACR. Substantiated by robust evidence from colocalization analysis, 6 plasma metabolites shared causal variants with CKD, 16 with creatinine-eGFR, and 7 with UACR. In the reverse analysis, a diminished creatinine-eGFR was linked to elevated levels of nine plasma metabolites. Notably, no discernible associations were observed between other plasma metabolites and CKD, creatinine-eGFR, and UACR. Importantly, our analysis detected no evidence of horizontal pleiotropy.ConclusionThis study elucidates specific plasma metabolites causally associated with CKD and renal functions, providing potential targets for intervention. These findings contribute to an enriched understanding of the genetic underpinnings of CKD and renal functions, paving the way for precision medicine applications and therapeutic strategies aimed at impeding disease progression.
| S-EPMC11310041 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Observational studies have reported an association between obesity, as measured by elevated body mass index (BMI), in early adulthood and risk of multiple sclerosis (MS). However, bias potentially introduced by confounding and reverse causation may have influenced these findings. Therefore, we elected to perform Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses to evaluate whether genetically increased BMI is associated with an increased risk of MS.Employing a two-sample MR approach, we used summary statistics from the Genetic Investigation of Anthropometric Traits (GIANT) consortium and the International MS Genetics Consortium (IMSGC), the largest genome-wide association studies for BMI and MS, respectively (GIANT: n = 322,105; IMSGC: n = 14,498 cases and 24,091 controls). Seventy single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were genome-wide significant (p < 5 x 10-8) for BMI in GIANT (n = 322,105) and were investigated for their association with MS risk in the IMSGC. The effect of each SNP on MS was weighted by its effect on BMI, and estimates were pooled to provide a summary measure for the effect of increased BMI upon risk of MS. Our results suggest that increased BMI influences MS susceptibility, where a 1 standard deviation increase in genetically determined BMI (kg/m2) increased odds of MS by 41% (odds ratio [OR]: 1.41, 95% CI 1.20-1.66, p = 2.7 x 10-5, I2 = 0%, 95% CI 0-29). Sensitivity analyses, including MR-Egger regression, and the weighted median approach provided no evidence of pleiotropic effects. The main study limitations are that, while these sensitivity analyses reduce the possibility that pleiotropy influenced our results, residual pleiotropy is difficult to exclude entirely.Genetically elevated BMI is associated with risk of MS, providing evidence for a causal role for obesity in MS etiology. While obesity has been associated with many late-life outcomes, these findings suggest an important consequence of childhood and/or early adulthood obesity.
| S-EPMC4924848 | biostudies-other
Project description:To clarify the role of thyroid function in ischemic heart disease (IHD) we assessed IHD risk and risk factors according to genetically predicted thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), free thyroxine (FT4) and thyroid peroxidase antibody (TPOAb) positivity. Separate-sample instrumental variable analysis with genetic instruments (Mendelian randomization) was used in an extensively genotyped case (n?=?64,374)-control (n?=?130,681) study, CARDIoGRAMplusC4D. Associations with lipids, diabetes and adiposity were assessed using the Global Lipids Genetics Consortium Results (n?=?196,475), the DIAbetes Genetics Replication And Meta-analysis case (n?=?34,380)-control (n?=?114,981) study, and the Genetic Investigation of ANthropometric Traits (body mass index in 152,893 men and 171,977 women, waist-hip ratio in 93,480 men and 116,741 women). Genetically predicted thyroid function was not associated with IHD (odds ratio (OR) per standard deviation for TSH 1.05, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.97 to 1.12; for FT4 1.01, 95% CI 0.91 to 1.12; for TPOAb positivity 1.10, 95% CI 0.83 to 1.46) or after Bonferroni correction with risk factors, except for an inverse association of FT4 with low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol. The associations were generally robust to sensitivity analyses using a weighted median method and MR Egger. This novel study provides little indication that TSH, FT4 or TPOAb positivity affects IHD, despite potential effects on its risk factors.
| S-EPMC5561103 | biostudies-literature
Project description:A trend towards earlier menarche in women has been associated with childhood factors (e.g. obesity) and hypothesised environmental exposures (e.g. endocrine disruptors present in household products). Observational evidence has shown detrimental effects of early menarche on various health outcomes including adult lung function, but these might represent spurious associations due to confounding. To address this we used Mendelian randomization where genetic variants are used as proxies for age at menarche, since genetic associations are not affected by classical confounding. We estimated the effects of age at menarche on forced vital capacity (FVC), a proxy for restrictive lung impairment, and ratio of forced expiratory volume in one second to FVC (FEV1/FVC), a measure of airway obstruction, in both adulthood and adolescence. We derived SNP-age at menarche association estimates for 122 variants from a published genome-wide meta-analysis (N = 182,416), with SNP-lung function estimates obtained by meta-analysing three studies of adult women (N = 46,944) and two of adolescent girls (N = 3025). We investigated the impact of departures from the assumption of no pleiotropy through sensitivity analyses. In adult women, in line with previous evidence, we found an effect on restrictive lung impairment with a 24.8 mL increase in FVC per year increase in age at menarche (95% CI 1.8-47.9; p = 0.035); evidence was stronger after excluding potential pleiotropic variants (43.6 mL; 17.2-69.9; p = 0.001). In adolescent girls we found an opposite effect (-56.5 mL; -108.3 to -4.7; p = 0.033), suggesting that the detrimental effect in adulthood may be preceded by a short-term post-pubertal benefit. Our secondary analyses showing results in the same direction in men and boys, in whom age at menarche SNPs have also shown association with sexual development, suggest a role for pubertal timing in general rather than menarche specifically. We found no effect on airway obstruction (FEV1/FVC).
| S-EPMC5591357 | biostudies-literature