Liu Xiao, Guo Honghao, Kang Meiyun, Fu Wenfeng, Li Huiqin, Ji Hongsheng, Zhao Jiou, Fang Yongjun, Du Mulong, Xue Yao
Department of Biostatistics, Center for Global Health, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, No. 101 Longmian Avenue, Nanjing, 211166, China.
Department of Hematology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Clinical College of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
Arch Toxicol. 2025 Jan;99(1):299-307. doi: 10.1007/s00204-024-03881-5. Epub 2024 Sep 25.
In our previous conventional genome-wide association study (GWAS), WWOX was a susceptibility gene associated with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) development. Nowadays, advancements in genetic association analyses promote an in-depth exploration of ALL genomics. We conducted a two-step enrichment analysis at both gene and pathway levels based on ALL GWAS data including 269 cases and 1039 controls of Chinese descent. The following functional prediction and experiments were used to evaluate the genetic biology of candidate variants and genes. The serotonin-activated cation-selective channel complex gene-set was a potential biological pathway involved in ALL occurrence. Of which, individuals carrying the T allele of rs33940208 exhibited a prominent reduced risk of ALL [odds ratio (OR) = 0.71, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.53 to 0.96, P = 2.81 × 10], whereas those with the A allele of rs6779545 demonstrated an increased risk (OR = 1.23, 95% CI = 1.01 to 1.51, P = 4.11 × 10). Notably, the two variants displayed a better prediction capability when combined, that the risk of developing childhood ALL increased by 131% in subjects with 2-4 risk alleles compared to those with 0-1 risk alleles (P = 2.05 × 10). In addition, the T allele of rs33940208 could reduce HTR3A mRNA level, while the A allele of rs6779545 increased HTR3D mRNA expression. In this study, we identified HTR3A rs33940208 and HTR3D rs6779545 as potential susceptibility loci for ALL in Chinese children. Future validation and functional research will elucidate the underlying molecular processes, refining preventive strategies for this disease.
在我们之前的传统全基因组关联研究(GWAS)中,WWOX是一个与急性淋巴细胞白血病(ALL)发生相关的易感基因。如今,基因关联分析的进展推动了对ALL基因组学的深入探索。我们基于包含269例病例和1039例中国血统对照的ALL GWAS数据,在基因和通路水平上进行了两步富集分析。以下功能预测和实验用于评估候选变异和基因的遗传生物学特性。血清素激活的阳离子选择性通道复合体基因集是ALL发生所涉及的潜在生物学途径。其中,携带rs33940208的T等位基因的个体患ALL的风险显著降低[比值比(OR)=0.71,95%置信区间(CI)=0.53至0.96,P=2.81×10],而携带rs6779545的A等位基因的个体风险增加(OR=1.23,95%CI=1.01至1.51,P=4.11×10)。值得注意的是,这两个变异联合时显示出更好的预测能力,与携带0 - 1个风险等位基因的受试者相比,携带2 - 4个风险等位基因的受试者患儿童ALL的风险增加了131%(P=2.05×10)。此外,rs33940208的T等位基因可降低HTR3A mRNA水平,而rs6779545的A等位基因则增加HTR3D mRNA表达。在本研究中,我们确定HTR3A rs33940208和HTR3D rs6779545是中国儿童ALL的潜在易感位点。未来的验证和功能研究将阐明潜在的分子过程,完善该疾病的预防策略。