Prognostic Value of LHFPL Tetraspan Subfamily Member 6 (LHFPL6) in Gastric Cancer: A Study Based on Bioinformatics Analysis and Experimental Validation

The causal association between COVID-19 and ischemic stroke: a mendelian randomization study

BACKGROUND

Current observational data indicates that ischemic stroke (IS) affects a significant proportion of people with COVID-19. The current study sought to evaluate the causal relationship between COVID-19 and IS.

METHODS

A two-sample Mendelian randomization (2 S-MR) approach was used to probe the relationship between genetic determinants of three COVID-19 parameters (SARS-CoV-2 infection, COVID-19 hospitalization, and severe COVID-19) and the incidence of IS based on genome-wide association studies (GWAS) data. Using this 2 S-MR technique, expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) and GWAS studies were further assessed for overlap to identify common causative genes associated with severe COVID-19 and IS.

RESULTS

IVW approaches indicated the genetic variants linked to COVID-19 hospitalization (OR 1.04, 95% CI 1.01-1.08, p = 0.023) and severe COVID-19 (OR 1.03, 95% CI 1.01-1.05, p = 0.007) were both significantly linked to greater odds of IS. In contrast, there was no causal association between genetic SARS-CoV-2 infection susceptibility and the occurrence of IS (OR 0.99, 95% CI 0.92-1.06, p = 0.694). Ten shared causal genes (TNFSF8, CFL2, TPM1, C15orf39, LHFPL6, FAM20C, SPAG9, KCNJ2, PELI1, and HLA-L) were established as possible mediators of the interplay between severe COVID-19 and the development of IS, with these genes primarily being enriched in immune-related and renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system pathways.

CONCLUSION

These findings indicate a possible causative relationship between IS risk and COVID-19 severity, offering crucial new information for managing COVID-19 patients. Promising options for therapeutic therapies for severe COVID-19 complicated by IS include the common genes found in the present study.

Proteomics-Based Transporter Identification by the PICK Method: Involvement of TM7SF3 and LHFPL6 in Proton-Coupled Organic Cation Antiport at the Blood-Brain Barrier

A proton-coupled organic cation (H⁺/OC) antiporter working at the blood–brain barrier (BBB) in humans and rodents is thought to be a promising candidate for the efficient delivery of cationic drugs to the brain. Therefore, it is important to identify the molecular entity that exhibits this activity. Here, for this purpose, we established the Proteomics-based Identification of transporter by Crosslinking substrate in Keyhole (PICK) method, which combines photo-affinity labeling with comprehensive proteomics analysis using SWATH-MS. Using preselected criteria, the PICK method generated sixteen candidate proteins. From these, knockdown screening in hCMEC/D3 cells, an in vitro BBB model, identified two proteins, TM7SF3 and LHFPL6, as candidates for the H⁺/OC antiporter. We synthesized a novel H⁺/OC antiporter substrate for functional analysis of TM7SF3 and LHFPL6 in hCMEC/D3 cells and HEK293 cells. The results suggested that both TM7SF3 and LHFPL6 are components of the H⁺/OC antiporter.