Mitochondrial DNA copy number and the risk of autoimmune diseases: A Mendelian randomization study with meta-analysis

Mitochondrial DNA plays a crucial role in the pathophysiology of autoimmune diseases (ADs). However, the association between mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtDNA-CN) and ADs risk is controversial. In this study, Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis and meta-analysis were performed using three sets of independent instrumental variables (IVs) to investigate the potential association between mtDNA-CN and 20 types of ADs.

The three sets of IVs were drawn primarily from participants in the UK Biobank and the Cohorts for Heart and Aging Research in Genomic Epidemiology consortium using different methods. Outcome data for ADs were investigated using summary statistics from the FinnGen cohort. The potential causal associations were assessed using inverse-variance weighting (IVW), MR-Egger, and weighted median methods. Sensitivity analysis and the Steiger test were used to verify the robustness of the MR estimates. In addition, a meta-analysis was conducted to pool the results from three IV groups.

Overall, genetically predicted mtDNA-CN was not associated with ADs risk (OR = 1.046, 95 % CI: 0.964-1.135, P = 0.283). However, subgroup analyses showed positive causal associations of mtDNA-CN with autoimmune hypothyroidism (OR = 1.133, 95 % CI: 1.016-1.262, P = 0.024) and rheumatoid arthritis (OR = 1.219, 95 % CI: 1.028-1.445, P = 0.023). In contrast, there was no causal association between mtDNA-CN and atopic dermatitis as well as psoriasis, ulcerative colitis, adult-onset Still disease, type1 diabetes, Crohn disease, sarcoidosis, ankylosing spondylitis, multiple sclerosis, autoimmune hyperthyroidism, primary sclerosing cholangitis, systemic lupus erythematosus, systemic sclerosis, alopecia areata, myasthenia gravis, Guillain-Barre syndrome, dermatopolymyositis, and vitiligo.

This MR analysis showed mtDNA-CN is causally associated with an increased risk of autoimmune hypothyroidism and rheumatoid arthritis at the genetic level. The findings have important implications for the use of mtDNA-CN as a biomarker for risk assessment of autoimmune hypothyroidism and rheumatoid arthritis in clinical practice.