Identifying potential pathogenic oxidative stress-related genes in depression through multi-omics summary-data-based...

The relationship between oxidative stress-related genes (OSGs) and depression remains unclear. This study investigates causal associations between OSGs and depression susceptibility to elucidate their roles in this mental health condition.

This study employed a Summary-data-based Mendelian randomization (SMR) approach to investigate the associations between oxidative stress-related genes (OSGs) and depression risk. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) associated with depression were identified from merged Gene Expression Omnibus transcriptome data and intersected with OSGs from GeneCards to define depression-related OSGs (DeOSGs). SMR analyses using methylation quantitative trait loci (mQTL), expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL), and protein quantitative trait loci (pQTL) data from large-scale consortia and cohorts evaluated associations between DeOSG methylation, expression, and protein levels with depression risk. Colocalization analysis identified shared causal variants between traits. Functional enrichment and validation using FinnGen cohorts further supported findings.

We identified 488 DeOSGs in depression patients. SMR analyses across mQTL, eQTL, and pQTL levels identified 130 methylation sites, 28 genes, and three proteins linked to depression risk. Ten CpG sites and three DeOSGs showed strong colocalization evidence. Integrative analysis identified four genes (BRAF, CUTA, SLC27A3, and SMARCA4) as potential candidates influencing depression risk through methylation and expression changes. External validation in the FinnGen cohort confirmed a negative association for CUTA expression in blood eQTL data.

This study identified BRAF, CUTA, SLC27A3, and SMARCA4 as influencing depression risk through methylation and expression changes. These findings provide potential targets for future therapeutic exploration and biomarker development.