MedScience. 2026 May 26. doi: 10.1007/s11684-026-1205-3. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
X-chromosomal genetic variants have been understudied in end-stage renal disease (ESRD), which holds the promise to provide valuable insights into sexually dimorphic traits and diseases. Here we performed an X chromosome-wide association study (XWAS) in a Chinese cohort (N = 2750), comprising 1489 cases with ESRD and 1261 controls, to identify locus associated with ESRD risk. One locus showing a consistent effect direction across sex but primarily supported by the male cohort was identified in COL4A5 (P = 2.43 × 10-6) in the metaanalysis combining summary statistics from the sex-stratified XWAS. COL4A5 codes for the alpha chain of type IV collagen, which is essential for the integrity of the glomerular basement membrane and normal glomerular function. Two male-specific loci, MIR3202-2 (P = 6.85 × 10-5) and SYTL4 (P = 1.71 × 10-5), were identified in the sex-stratified XWAS in males, and expression of SYTL4, TSPAN6, NOX1, CSTF2, and PCDH19 was found to be influenced by the ESRD loci near SYTL4 based on expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) results from the Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) project. In summary, our findings revealed three X-chromosome loci linked to ESRD risk, which provided foundational knowledge for genetic risk prediction and advanced our understanding of the molecular underpinnings of ESRD.
PMID:42189395 | DOI:10.1007/s11684-026-1205-3
