Insights into Shared Genetic Architecture Linking Thyroid Function and Cancer

Growing evidence suggests a complex interplay between thyroid function and various cancers, and yet their shared genetic basis and underlying mechanisms remain unclear.

This study leveraged large-scale genome-wide association study (GWAS) summary for four thyroid function traits and seven cancer traits. We systematically investigated the shared genetic architecture between thyroid function and cancer susceptibility at global, locus, gene, and functional levels. Genome-wide genetic correlations and overlap were first assessed at the global level. Pleiotropic Analysis under Composite null hypothesis (PLACO) was then applied to identify specific shared loci between thyroid function and cancers. At the gene level, shared genes were prioritized using expression-trait association and colocalization analyses. Finally, functional enrichment and druggability analyses were conducted to explore the biological relevance of shared genes and their potential as therapeutic targets.

We observed widespread global genetic overlap between thyroid function and cancers. At the locus level, PLACO identified 489 loci across 28 thyroid function-cancer pairs, including 79 novel loci for both traits. Colocalization and local genetic correlation analyses further highlighted 22 key loci. At the gene level, 81 shared genes were prioritized, with NUCKS1, SLC41A1, SIVA1, CTA-398F10.2 and INSR showing consistent significance in both expression-trait association and colocalization analyses. Moreover, druggability analyses predicted 1,064 potential interactions, revealing promising targets for drug repurposing.

Our integrative analysis uncovers extensive shared genetic architecture between thyroid function and multiple cancers, highlighting key loci and prioritized shared genes, and providing mechanistic insight into the genetic links between thyroid function and cancer susceptibility.