Unveiling novel susceptibility genes and drug targets for basal cell carcinoma by a cross-tissue transcriptome-wide association study

Abstract Objective To identify novel susceptibility genes and drug targets for basal cell carcinoma (BCC). Methods We performed a transcriptome-wide association study (TWAS) to identified the susceptibility genes and potential drug targets for BCC. The cross-tissue TWAS was conducted to discover the...

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Main Authors: Hong Sun, Ling Li, Xiu Xin, Jingchao Yan, Taomin Huang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Springer 2025-03-01
Series:Discover Oncology
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1007/s12672-025-02019-y
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author Hong Sun
Ling Li
Xiu Xin
Jingchao Yan
Taomin Huang
author_facet Hong Sun
Ling Li
Xiu Xin
Jingchao Yan
Taomin Huang
author_sort Hong Sun
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Objective To identify novel susceptibility genes and drug targets for basal cell carcinoma (BCC). Methods We performed a transcriptome-wide association study (TWAS) to identified the susceptibility genes and potential drug targets for BCC. The cross-tissue TWAS was conducted to discover the candidate genes for BCC. Functional Summary-based Imputation (FUSION) analysis was used to validate these genes in the single tissues. Multimarker Analysis of Genomic Annotation (MAGMA) was employed to further screen candidate genes. Summary data-based Mendelian randomization (SMR) and colocalization analyses were applied to infer causal relationships between candidate genes and BCC. The expression pattern of the identified genes in single-cell types was also investigated. Function, pathway enrichment and disease connection analyses were performed to understand the biological implication of identified genes. Additionally, druggability of the identified genes was evaluated to discover potential candidate drugs for BCC. Results Ninety-five genes were identified by cross-tissue TWAS analysis. Among them, 24 genes were confirmed by FUSION and MAGMA methods. Ten genes were further confirmed by SMR and colocalization analyses. Three genes were replicated by using another GWAS data. The potential interacting gene networks constructed with these identified genes were mainly involved in viral life cycle-HIV-1, GABAergic synapse, nicotine addiction, ether lipid metabolism, and mineral absorption pathways. AN-9 and amooranin might be candidate drugs for BCC. Conclusions We have identified 10 susceptibility genes associated with BCC risk, which might deepen our comprehension of BCC pathogenesis and illuminating new avenues for therapeutic and preventive drug development.
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spelling doaj-art-1edc2bf8b2e5464d8ac45f5c2fcdd9b82025-08-20T03:01:39ZengSpringerDiscover Oncology2730-60112025-03-0116111410.1007/s12672-025-02019-yUnveiling novel susceptibility genes and drug targets for basal cell carcinoma by a cross-tissue transcriptome-wide association studyHong Sun0Ling Li1Xiu Xin2Jingchao Yan3Taomin Huang4Department of Pharmacy, Eye & ENT Hospital, Fudan UniversityDepartment of Pharmacy, Eye & ENT Hospital, Fudan UniversityDepartment of Pharmacy, Eye & ENT Hospital, Fudan UniversityDepartment of Pharmacy, Eye & ENT Hospital, Fudan UniversityDepartment of Pharmacy, Eye & ENT Hospital, Fudan UniversityAbstract Objective To identify novel susceptibility genes and drug targets for basal cell carcinoma (BCC). Methods We performed a transcriptome-wide association study (TWAS) to identified the susceptibility genes and potential drug targets for BCC. The cross-tissue TWAS was conducted to discover the candidate genes for BCC. Functional Summary-based Imputation (FUSION) analysis was used to validate these genes in the single tissues. Multimarker Analysis of Genomic Annotation (MAGMA) was employed to further screen candidate genes. Summary data-based Mendelian randomization (SMR) and colocalization analyses were applied to infer causal relationships between candidate genes and BCC. The expression pattern of the identified genes in single-cell types was also investigated. Function, pathway enrichment and disease connection analyses were performed to understand the biological implication of identified genes. Additionally, druggability of the identified genes was evaluated to discover potential candidate drugs for BCC. Results Ninety-five genes were identified by cross-tissue TWAS analysis. Among them, 24 genes were confirmed by FUSION and MAGMA methods. Ten genes were further confirmed by SMR and colocalization analyses. Three genes were replicated by using another GWAS data. The potential interacting gene networks constructed with these identified genes were mainly involved in viral life cycle-HIV-1, GABAergic synapse, nicotine addiction, ether lipid metabolism, and mineral absorption pathways. AN-9 and amooranin might be candidate drugs for BCC. Conclusions We have identified 10 susceptibility genes associated with BCC risk, which might deepen our comprehension of BCC pathogenesis and illuminating new avenues for therapeutic and preventive drug development.https://doi.org/10.1007/s12672-025-02019-yBasal cell carcinomaCross-tissue TWASSusceptibility genesDrug targets
spellingShingle Hong Sun
Ling Li
Xiu Xin
Jingchao Yan
Taomin Huang
Unveiling novel susceptibility genes and drug targets for basal cell carcinoma by a cross-tissue transcriptome-wide association study
Discover Oncology
Basal cell carcinoma
Cross-tissue TWAS
Susceptibility genes
Drug targets
title Unveiling novel susceptibility genes and drug targets for basal cell carcinoma by a cross-tissue transcriptome-wide association study
title_full Unveiling novel susceptibility genes and drug targets for basal cell carcinoma by a cross-tissue transcriptome-wide association study
title_fullStr Unveiling novel susceptibility genes and drug targets for basal cell carcinoma by a cross-tissue transcriptome-wide association study
title_full_unstemmed Unveiling novel susceptibility genes and drug targets for basal cell carcinoma by a cross-tissue transcriptome-wide association study
title_short Unveiling novel susceptibility genes and drug targets for basal cell carcinoma by a cross-tissue transcriptome-wide association study
title_sort unveiling novel susceptibility genes and drug targets for basal cell carcinoma by a cross tissue transcriptome wide association study
topic Basal cell carcinoma
Cross-tissue TWAS
Susceptibility genes
Drug targets
url https://doi.org/10.1007/s12672-025-02019-y
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