Integrating human brain proteomes with genome-wide association data implicates new proteins in Alzheimer's disease pathogenesis

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified many risk loci for Alzheimer's disease (AD)(1,2), but how these loci confer AD risk is unclear. Here, we aimed to identify loci that confer AD risk through their effects on brain protein abundance to provide new insights into AD pathogenesis. To that end, we integrated AD GWAS results with human brain proteomes to perform a proteome-wide association study (PWAS) of AD, followed by Mendelian randomization and colocalization analysis. We identified 11 genes that are consistent with being causal in AD, acting via their cis-regulated brain protein abundance. Nine replicated in a confirmation PWAS and eight represent new AD risk genes not identified before by AD GWAS. Furthermore, we demonstrated that our results were independent of APOE e4. Together, our findings provide new insights into AD pathogenesis and promising targets for further mechanistic and therapeutic studies.

Automated summary

This study identified 11 genes that may play a role in Alzheimer's disease (AD) by affecting brain protein abundance, through a proteome-wide association study. Eight of these genes are new AD risk genes not identified before by AD GWAS, providing new insights into AD pathogenesis. This research offers promising targets for further mechanistic and therapeutic studies on AD.