Investigating causal relationships between plasma proteins and lung adenocarcinoma: result from proteomics and Mendelian randomization study

Abstract

Abstract Background Plasma proteins contribute to the identification, diagnosis, and prognosis of human illnesses, which may be conducive to understanding the molecular mechanism and diagnosis of Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). Methods We collected plasma samples from 28 healthy individuals (H) and 56 LUAD patients and analyzed them using LC–MS/MS-based proteomics to determine differential expression plasma proteins (DEPPs). Then, the DEPPs were subjected to a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) study based on an “Inverse variance weighted (IVW)” approach to investigate the causal relationships between DEPPs and LUAD. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to develop a diagnostic model for LUAD. Results 317 plasma proteins were found in proteomics, and 19 DEPPs were identified. The MR study revealed that IL20RB (odds ratio (OR) = 1.600, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) [1.098, 2.331], P = 0.014) and SAA2 (OR = 1.048, 95%CI [1.012, 1.081], P = 0.017) were highly related to LUAD. A diagnostic model was established with IL20RB and SAA2. The AUC of this diagnostic model was 0.858. Conclusion Plasma IL20RB and SAA2 levels were closely connected with LUAD.

Keywords

• Plasma proteins
• Lung adenocarcinoma
• IL20RB
• SAA2