Mendelian randomization and transcriptomic analysis reveal an inverse causal relationship between Alzheimer's disease and cancer

Abstract

Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) and cancer are common age-related diseases, and epidemiological evidence suggests an inverse relationship between them. However, investigating the potential mechanism underlying their relationship remains insufficient.

Methods: Based on genome-wide association summary statistics for 42,034 AD patients and 609,951 cancer patients from the GWAS Catalog using the two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) method. Moreover, we utilized two-step MR to identify metabolites mediating between AD and cancer. Furthermore, we employed colocalization analysis to identify genes whose upregulation is a risk factor for AD and demonstrated the genes' upregulation to be a favorable prognostic factor for cancer by analyzing transcriptomic data for 33 TCGA cancer types.

Results: Two-sample MR analysis revealed a significant causal influence for increased AD risk on reduced cancer risk. Two-step MR analysis identified very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) as a key mediator of the negative cause-effect relationship between AD and cancer. Colocalization analysis uncovered PVRIG upregulation to be a risk factor for AD. Transcriptomic analysis showed that PVRIG expression had significant negative correlations with stemness scores, and positive correlations with antitumor immune responses and overall survival in pan-cancer and multiple cancer types.

Conclusion: AD may result in lower cancer risk. VLDL is a significant intermediate variable linking AD with cancer. PVRIG abundance is a risk factor for AD but a protective factor for cancer. This study demonstrates a causal influence for AD on cancer and provides potential molecular connections between both diseases.

Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease; Cancer; Colocalization analysis; Mendelian randomization; Transcriptome analysis.