Mendelian randomization and transcriptomic analysis reveal a positive cause-and-effect relationship between Alzheimer's disease and colorectal cancer

Background: This study addresses the complex multifactorial causes of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and colorectal cancer (CRC), two significant public health issues. Despite previous research, the precise relationship between AD and CRC remains unclear. This study aimed to explore the potential cau...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Wei Du, Xueming Xia, Qiheng Gou, Yan Qiu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-01-01
Series:Translational Oncology
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S193652332400295X
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1846136520804663296
author Wei Du
Xueming Xia
Qiheng Gou
Yan Qiu
author_facet Wei Du
Xueming Xia
Qiheng Gou
Yan Qiu
author_sort Wei Du
collection DOAJ
description Background: This study addresses the complex multifactorial causes of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and colorectal cancer (CRC), two significant public health issues. Despite previous research, the precise relationship between AD and CRC remains unclear. This study aimed to explore the potential causal relationship between AD and CRC using Mendelian randomization (MR) and to identify risk genes through colocalization and transcriptomic analyses. Method: The study used a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) approach to investigate the causal effect of AD on CRC. Genome-wide association study (GWAS) summary statistics for AD and CRC were utilized. Colocalization analysis was conducted to identify risk genes associated with AD, which were then validated through transcriptomic analysis in CRC samples. The study used GWAS data from a cohort of European patients and applied several MR methods, including MR Egger, weighted median, and inverse-variance weighted approaches, to ensure robust findings. Results: The MR analysis revealed a significant positive causal relationship between AD and CRC, indicating that an increased genetic predisposition to AD is associated with a elevated risk of developing CRC. The colocalization analysis identified COLEC11 as a significant risk gene for AD, which also showed a strong positive correlation with clinical features and survival outcomes in CRC. Elevated COLEC11 expression was linked to advanced clinical stages, increased tumor mutational burden, microsatellite instability, and poorer overall survival in CRC patients. Conclusions: This study provides evidence of a causal relationship between AD and CRC, suggesting that shared genetic and inflammatory pathways may underlie both conditions. The identification of COLEC11 as a potential link between AD and CRC offers new avenues for research and therapeutic interventions. These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the interplay between neurodegenerative and oncologic diseases, highlighting the importance of exploring common pathogenic mechanisms.
format Article
id doaj-art-227a237271f54903a4952a99ce7e7be4
institution Kabale University
issn 1936-5233
language English
publishDate 2025-01-01
publisher Elsevier
record_format Article
series Translational Oncology
spelling doaj-art-227a237271f54903a4952a99ce7e7be42024-12-09T04:27:01ZengElsevierTranslational Oncology1936-52332025-01-0151102169Mendelian randomization and transcriptomic analysis reveal a positive cause-and-effect relationship between Alzheimer's disease and colorectal cancerWei Du0Xueming Xia1Qiheng Gou2Yan Qiu3Department of Biotherapy, West China Hospital and State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, ChinaDepartment of Head and Neck Oncology, Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, ChinaDepartment of Head and Neck Oncology, Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, ChinaDepartment of Pathology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China; Corresponding author at: GuoXue Alley, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, PR China.Background: This study addresses the complex multifactorial causes of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and colorectal cancer (CRC), two significant public health issues. Despite previous research, the precise relationship between AD and CRC remains unclear. This study aimed to explore the potential causal relationship between AD and CRC using Mendelian randomization (MR) and to identify risk genes through colocalization and transcriptomic analyses. Method: The study used a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) approach to investigate the causal effect of AD on CRC. Genome-wide association study (GWAS) summary statistics for AD and CRC were utilized. Colocalization analysis was conducted to identify risk genes associated with AD, which were then validated through transcriptomic analysis in CRC samples. The study used GWAS data from a cohort of European patients and applied several MR methods, including MR Egger, weighted median, and inverse-variance weighted approaches, to ensure robust findings. Results: The MR analysis revealed a significant positive causal relationship between AD and CRC, indicating that an increased genetic predisposition to AD is associated with a elevated risk of developing CRC. The colocalization analysis identified COLEC11 as a significant risk gene for AD, which also showed a strong positive correlation with clinical features and survival outcomes in CRC. Elevated COLEC11 expression was linked to advanced clinical stages, increased tumor mutational burden, microsatellite instability, and poorer overall survival in CRC patients. Conclusions: This study provides evidence of a causal relationship between AD and CRC, suggesting that shared genetic and inflammatory pathways may underlie both conditions. The identification of COLEC11 as a potential link between AD and CRC offers new avenues for research and therapeutic interventions. These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the interplay between neurodegenerative and oncologic diseases, highlighting the importance of exploring common pathogenic mechanisms.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S193652332400295XMendelian randomizationTranscriptomic analysisAlzheimer's diseaseColorectal cancer
spellingShingle Wei Du
Xueming Xia
Qiheng Gou
Yan Qiu
Mendelian randomization and transcriptomic analysis reveal a positive cause-and-effect relationship between Alzheimer's disease and colorectal cancer
Translational Oncology
Mendelian randomization
Transcriptomic analysis
Alzheimer's disease
Colorectal cancer
title Mendelian randomization and transcriptomic analysis reveal a positive cause-and-effect relationship between Alzheimer's disease and colorectal cancer
title_full Mendelian randomization and transcriptomic analysis reveal a positive cause-and-effect relationship between Alzheimer's disease and colorectal cancer
title_fullStr Mendelian randomization and transcriptomic analysis reveal a positive cause-and-effect relationship between Alzheimer's disease and colorectal cancer
title_full_unstemmed Mendelian randomization and transcriptomic analysis reveal a positive cause-and-effect relationship between Alzheimer's disease and colorectal cancer
title_short Mendelian randomization and transcriptomic analysis reveal a positive cause-and-effect relationship between Alzheimer's disease and colorectal cancer
title_sort mendelian randomization and transcriptomic analysis reveal a positive cause and effect relationship between alzheimer s disease and colorectal cancer
topic Mendelian randomization
Transcriptomic analysis
Alzheimer's disease
Colorectal cancer
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S193652332400295X
work_keys_str_mv AT weidu mendelianrandomizationandtranscriptomicanalysisrevealapositivecauseandeffectrelationshipbetweenalzheimersdiseaseandcolorectalcancer
AT xuemingxia mendelianrandomizationandtranscriptomicanalysisrevealapositivecauseandeffectrelationshipbetweenalzheimersdiseaseandcolorectalcancer
AT qihenggou mendelianrandomizationandtranscriptomicanalysisrevealapositivecauseandeffectrelationshipbetweenalzheimersdiseaseandcolorectalcancer
AT yanqiu mendelianrandomizationandtranscriptomicanalysisrevealapositivecauseandeffectrelationshipbetweenalzheimersdiseaseandcolorectalcancer