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Plasma MERTK is causally associated with infection mortality
Michael Drozd1, Fergus Hamilton2, Chew W Cheng1
1Leeds Institute of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.
The Journal of Infection
|September 6, 2024
Summary
Plasma MERTK protein is causally linked to increased infection mortality risk. This finding suggests MERTK as a potential therapeutic target for infectious diseases, offering new avenues for treatment.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Genetics
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Infectious diseases remain a significant global cause of mortality despite existing interventions.
- Identifying reliable biomarkers for infection mortality is crucial for public health strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify plasma proteins associated with infection mortality.
- To determine if these associations are causally driven using Mendelian randomization (MR).
Main Methods:
- Utilized UK Biobank plasma proteomic data (n=52,520) to associate 2923 proteins with infection mortality.
- Focused on proteins with >1.5-fold increased risk of infection mortality in a survivor-excluded analysis.
- Employed Mendelian randomization (MR) with genome-wide association study (GWAS) data (n=363,953) to assess causality.
Main Results:
- 1142 plasma proteins were associated with infection mortality risk (FDR <0.05).
- 259 proteins showed a >1.5-fold increased risk for infection versus non-infection mortality.
- Increasing MERTK protein concentration was causally associated with increased infection mortality risk (OR 1.46, p=0.002).
Conclusions:
- Plasma MERTK protein is causally linked to infection mortality.
- MERTK represents a potential novel therapeutic target for managing infectious diseases.
