Identification of novel drug targets through integrative PWAS of brain and plasma proteins with Ulcerative Colitis GWAS.

Previous genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified various risk variants for ulcerative colitis (UC), but there is a lack of evidence showing how these variants contribute to the development of UC. We employed an integrated pipeline to effectively translate genetic associations in order...

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Main Authors: Ningning Liu, Yi Hou, Miao Yu, Gaihong Liu, Yingxue Xu, Qiang Jiang, Dongli Wang, Lianzhu Wang, Yujie Zhao
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2025-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0324035
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author Ningning Liu
Yi Hou
Miao Yu
Gaihong Liu
Yingxue Xu
Qiang Jiang
Dongli Wang
Lianzhu Wang
Yujie Zhao
author_facet Ningning Liu
Yi Hou
Miao Yu
Gaihong Liu
Yingxue Xu
Qiang Jiang
Dongli Wang
Lianzhu Wang
Yujie Zhao
author_sort Ningning Liu
collection DOAJ
description Previous genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified various risk variants for ulcerative colitis (UC), but there is a lack of evidence showing how these variants contribute to the development of UC. We employed an integrated pipeline to effectively translate genetic associations in order to identify pathogenic genes for UC.By combining GWAS data for UC with proteomic data from the human brain and plasma, we conducted a protein-wide association study (PWAS) and utilized protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis to screen for potential key proteins. Subsequently, causal analysis was performed to assess the potential causal relationships between these proteins and the risk of developing UC.Multiple genes associated with UC were identified in the human brain and plasma proteomes, including known genes such as TYK2 and STAT3, as well as newly discovered genes such as NARS2. PPI networks revealed strong interactions among proteins, including TYK2, STAT3, and IL23R. Causal analysis indicated that 11 risk genes, including FCGR2A, showed significant causal associations with UC, and were linked to key processes related to immune regulation and inflammatory responses, suggesting their potential roles in the pathogenesis of UC.This study integrated GWAS and PWAS data to identify risk genes associated with UC, providing new insights into the disease's pathogenesis and potential therapeutic targets.
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spelling doaj-art-2bf88e287ccd4bacb141e8db9e428d022025-08-20T03:44:46ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032025-01-01205e032403510.1371/journal.pone.0324035Identification of novel drug targets through integrative PWAS of brain and plasma proteins with Ulcerative Colitis GWAS.Ningning LiuYi HouMiao YuGaihong LiuYingxue XuQiang JiangDongli WangLianzhu WangYujie ZhaoPrevious genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified various risk variants for ulcerative colitis (UC), but there is a lack of evidence showing how these variants contribute to the development of UC. We employed an integrated pipeline to effectively translate genetic associations in order to identify pathogenic genes for UC.By combining GWAS data for UC with proteomic data from the human brain and plasma, we conducted a protein-wide association study (PWAS) and utilized protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis to screen for potential key proteins. Subsequently, causal analysis was performed to assess the potential causal relationships between these proteins and the risk of developing UC.Multiple genes associated with UC were identified in the human brain and plasma proteomes, including known genes such as TYK2 and STAT3, as well as newly discovered genes such as NARS2. PPI networks revealed strong interactions among proteins, including TYK2, STAT3, and IL23R. Causal analysis indicated that 11 risk genes, including FCGR2A, showed significant causal associations with UC, and were linked to key processes related to immune regulation and inflammatory responses, suggesting their potential roles in the pathogenesis of UC.This study integrated GWAS and PWAS data to identify risk genes associated with UC, providing new insights into the disease's pathogenesis and potential therapeutic targets.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0324035
spellingShingle Ningning Liu
Yi Hou
Miao Yu
Gaihong Liu
Yingxue Xu
Qiang Jiang
Dongli Wang
Lianzhu Wang
Yujie Zhao
Identification of novel drug targets through integrative PWAS of brain and plasma proteins with Ulcerative Colitis GWAS.
PLoS ONE
title Identification of novel drug targets through integrative PWAS of brain and plasma proteins with Ulcerative Colitis GWAS.
title_full Identification of novel drug targets through integrative PWAS of brain and plasma proteins with Ulcerative Colitis GWAS.
title_fullStr Identification of novel drug targets through integrative PWAS of brain and plasma proteins with Ulcerative Colitis GWAS.
title_full_unstemmed Identification of novel drug targets through integrative PWAS of brain and plasma proteins with Ulcerative Colitis GWAS.
title_short Identification of novel drug targets through integrative PWAS of brain and plasma proteins with Ulcerative Colitis GWAS.
title_sort identification of novel drug targets through integrative pwas of brain and plasma proteins with ulcerative colitis gwas
url https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0324035
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