Integrative multi-omic analyses identify candidate targets for celiac
disease involving tissue-specific regulation
Abstract
Introduction: Celiac disease (CeD) is an autoimmune condition
characterized by a reversible inflammatory reaction in the mucous
membrane of the small intestine. Nevertheless, there is a limited
availability of efficient control approaches. Prior research has
demonstrated that pharmacological targets supported by genetic evidence
can greatly enhance the efficacy of drug development. Hence, the study
aims to integrate transcriptomic and proteomic information to identify
candidate targets for CeD. Methods: The study employed proteome-wide
Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis of circulating plasma proteins to
investigate their causal association with CeD. The candidate targets for
CeD were further assessed employing colocalization analysis,
transcriptome-wide summary-data-based Mendelian randomization (SMR)
analysis, multimarker analysis of genomic annotation (MAGMA) gene-based
analysis, and bulk RNAseq-based differential expression analysis. For
the proteins that were identified, extended Phenome-wide association
studies (PheWAS) were conducted to assess their side-effect profiles,
while the DGIdb database provided information on the approved or
investigated drugs for candidate targets. Results: Systematic MR
analysis identified 22 candidate targets for CeD. Among the proteins
analyzed, BTN2A1 passed all subsequent verification analyses.
Additionally, three proteins, including CatH, IL-18R1, and PTPRC, passed
the majority of the subsequent verification analyses. The other 18
proteins were also candidate targets (Trehalase, CD226, SH2B3, ICOSLG,
ULK3, Park7, ALDH2, RABEP1, TNFRSF9, COL11A2, GNPDA1, IL-1RL1, B3galt6,
TNFSF11, CCL21, BTN3A3, OLFM2 and Colipase). Conclusions: The study
employed a combination of human transcriptomic and proteomic
information, employing several analytical methods. As a result, 22
proteins, divided into four tiers, were identified as prospective
therapeutic targets for CeD.