DNER as a novel protein contributes to HSCR pathogenesis: multi-omics combined Mendelian randomization analysis

Hirschsprung disease (HSCR) is a congenital disorder characterized by the aganglionosis, which remains disputable and limited biomarkers about pathogenesis.

This study employed a multidimensional approach to explore the potential new targets and molecular mechanism for HSCR, including proteome-wide Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis, single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq), bioinformatics, and experimental validation through cellular and tissue studies.

Our results confirmed RET and AGRN as key proteins implicated in HSCR genesis and development, further underscoring their indispensable role. Notably, for the first time, we identified DNER as a novel protein significantly contributing to HSCR pathogenesis. MR and Bayesian colocalization analysis revealed a robust causal relationship between DNER and HSCR risk (OR = 0.12, 95% CI: 0.04-0.39, P = 4.54 × 10-4) ScRNA-seq data analysis showed that DNER expression increased during enteric neural crest cell (ENCC) development, consistent along with western blotting result in colon tissue at different developmental stages. Meanwhile we demonstrated DNER protein expression in enteric neurons and observed a marked decreased expression of DNER in the colon of HSCR models. Moreover, down-regulation of DNER not only impeded ENCC migration but also compromised their subsequent differentiation into neurons and synaptic maturation. All above indicated the role in ENS formation and that DNER contribute crucially to aganglionosis, the hallmark of HSCR pathology. Functional enrichment analysis revealed the Notch signaling pathway as a potential downstream mechanism.

Our study emphasized the significance of DNER/Notch signaling pathway and provided new insights into the HSCR pathogenesis. Potentially, DNER seemed to be a novel biomarker and therapeutic target for HSCR, and future research should focus on the detailed molecular mechanisms how DNER/Notch roles in HSCR.

This study identifies DNER as a novel causal protein in Hirschsprung disease (HSCR) pathogenesis through integrated proteome-wide Mendelian randomization and Bayesian colocalization. We demonstrate that DNER regulates enteric neural crest cell proliferation, migration, and differentiation via the Notch signaling pathway, with dynamic expression during ENS development revealed by single-cell RNA sequencing. Our findings establish a novel DNER-Notch signaling axis in gut neural development and reveal that DNER deficiency disrupts ENCC colonization, neuronal differentiation, and neural network assembly. This work provides fundamental insights into HSCR pathogenesis, highlighting a previously underappreciated molecular pathway in enteric nervous system development. Potential new targets for HSCR: from a whole proteome-wide Mendelian randomization analysis to experiment in vivo and in vitro.