Effects of Oxidative Stress Gene Protein, Expression, and DNA Methylation on Multiple Sclerosis: A Multi-Omics Mendelian Randomized Study

Background

Oxidative stress (OS) is linked to the development of multiple sclerosis (MS), but the causal relationship in terms of genetic pathophysiology remains ambiguous. We employed Mendelian randomization (MR) and colocalization analysis to explore the relationship between OS genes and MS, utilizing an integrative multi-omics approach.

Methods

We obtained data from a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of MS from the International Multiple Sclerosis Genetics Consortium (Discovery phase) and the FinnGen study (Replication phase). Mendelian randomization analyses were conducted using summary data to evaluate the association between molecular features of OS-related genes and MS. Additional colocalization analyses were undertaken to ascertain whether the identified signal pairs shared causal genetic variants.

Results

Integration of multi-omics data, including mQTL-eQTL and eQTL-pQTL, revealed that the STAT3 gene is associated with MS, supported by Level 1 evidence. The CR1 gene shows an association with MS risk, evidenced by Level 3 support. Methylation at cg24718015 and cg17833746 in the STAT3 gene correlates with reduced expression of STAT3. At the protein level, high circulating levels of STAT3 are inversely associated with MS risk (OR: 0.43, 95% CI, 0.33–0.54). Elevated levels of TNFRSF1A are also linked with a decreased risk of MS (OR: 0.21; 95% CI, 0.12–0.37), while higher levels of CR1 are positively associated with an increased risk of MS (OR: 1.17; 95% CI, 1.08–1.27).

Conclusion

This study identifies specific OS genes that are associated with MS and enhances our understanding of its pathogenesis.