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Assessing the causal relationship between immune cells and prostatitis: evidence from bidirectional mendelian randomization analysis

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Abstract

Prostatitis represents a common disease of the male genitourinary system, significantly impacting the physical and mental health of male patients. While numerous studies have suggested a potential link between immune cell activity and prostatitis, the exact causal role of immune cells in prostatitis remains uncertain. This study aims to explore the causal relationship between immune cell characteristics and prostatitis using a bidirectional Mendelian randomization approach. This study utilizes data from the public GWAS database and employs bidirectional Mendelian randomization analysis to investigate the causal relationship between immune cells and prostatitis. The causal relationship between 731 immune cell features and prostatitis was primarily investigated through inverse variance weighting (IVW), complemented by MR-Egger regression, a simple model, the weighted median method, and a weighted model. Ultimately, the results underwent sensitivity analysis to assess the heterogeneity, horizontal pleiotropy, and stability of Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) in immune cells and prostatitis. MR analysis revealed 17 immune cells exhibiting significant causal effects on prostatitis. In contrast, findings from reverse MR indicated a significant causal relationship between prostatitis and 13 immune cells. Our study utilizes bidirectional Mendelian Randomization to establish causal relationships between specific immune cell phenotypes and prostatitis, highlighting the reciprocal influence between immune system behavior and the disease. Our findings suggest targeted therapeutic approaches and the importance of including diverse populations for broader validation and personalized treatment strategies.

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Data availability

The datasets generated and analyzed in this study are accessible at https://gwas.mrcieu.ac.uk/

Abbreviations

IVW:

Inverse Variance Weighted

GWAS:

Genome-Wide Association Studies

MR:

Mendelian Randomization

SNPs:

Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms

IV:

Instrumental Variable

AC:

Absolute Count

MFI:

Median Fluorescence Intensity

MP:

Morphological Parameter

RC:

Relative Count

LD:

Linkage Disequilibrium

OR:

Odds Ratio

CI:

Confidence Interval

HLA:

Human Leukocyte Antigen

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Acknowledgements

This research received partial funding from the Hunan Natural Science Foundation (NO.2021JJ41094) and the Hunan Province Natural Science Foundation (NO.2022JJ70085).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Urology, Zhuzhou Hospital Affiliated to **angya School of Medicine, Central South University, Zhuzhou, 412007, China

    Genyi Qu, Weimin Jiang, Zhaohui Long, **ng Zhou, Yijie Wang, Guang Yang, Cheng Tang & Yong Xu

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  1. Genyi Qu
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  2. Weimin Jiang
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  3. Zhaohui Long
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  4. **ng Zhou
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  5. Yijie Wang
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  6. Guang Yang
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  7. Cheng Tang
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  8. Yong Xu
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Contributions

Genyi Qu, Weimin Jiang and **ng Zhou authored the main manuscript. Guang Yang, Cheng Tang and Yong Xu conducted the experiments. Zhaohui Long and Yijie Wang were responsible for data collection. All authors reviewed, discussed the results, and edited the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Yong Xu.

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Qu, G., Jiang, W., Long, Z. et al. Assessing the causal relationship between immune cells and prostatitis: evidence from bidirectional mendelian randomization analysis. Mamm Genome (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00335-024-10044-5

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