Mendelian randomization analysis identified genes potentially pleiotropically associated with periodontitis

OBJECTIVE: To prioritize genes that were pleiotropically or potentially causally associated with periodontitis. METHODS: We applied the summary data-based Mendelian randomization (SMR) method integrating genome-wide association study (GWAS) for periodontitis and expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) data to identify genes that were pleiotropically associated with periodontitis. We performed separate SMR analysis using CAGE eQTL data and GTEx eQTL data. SMR analysis were done for participants of European and East Asian ancestries, separately. RESULTS: We identified multiple genes showing pleiotropic association with periodontitis in participants of European ancestry and participants of East Asian ancestry. PDCD2 (corresponding probe: ILMN_1758915) was the top hit showing pleotropic association with periodontitis in the participants of European ancestry using CAGE eQTL data, and BX093763 (corresponding probe: ILMN_1899903) and AC104135.3 (corresponding probe: ENSG00000204792.2) were the top hits in the participants of East Asian ancestry using CAGE eQTL data and GTEx eQTL data, respectively. CONCLUSION: We identified multiple genes that may be involved in the pathogenesis of periodontitis in participants of European ancestry and participants of East Asian ancestry. Our findings provided important leads to a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying periodontitis and revealed potential therapeutic targets for the effective treatment of periodontitis.