Proteome-wide association study of prostate cancer risk across populations

H Hua Zhong (Department of Chemistry, National University of Singapore, 3 Science Drive 3, Singapore 117543, Republic of Singapore) J Jingjing Zhu (State Key Laboratory of Advanced Fiber Materials, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering) S Shuai Liu (College of Materials Science and Engineering) C Chong Wu L Liang Wang S Seamus P. Whelton C Catherine H. Marshall M Michael J. Blaha P Peter Durda (Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Larner College of Medicine, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA.) X Xiuqing Guo C Craig W. Johnson H Henry J. Lin K Kent D. Taylor (The Institute for Translational Genomics and Population Sciences, Department of Pediatrics, The Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Torrance, CA, USA.) R Russell P. Tracy (Laboratory for Clinical Biochemistry Research, Larner College of Medicine, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA.) R Ronit I. Yarden A Ani W. Manichaikul (Department of Genome Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA.) S Stephen S. Rich (Department of Genome Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA.) J Jerome I. Rotter R Rajat Deo R Ruth F. Dubin P Peter Ganz L Lang Wu

Abstract

Abstract There is insufficient understanding of the molecular basis of prostate cancer (PCa) across different populations. We perform a large-scale proteome-wide association study (PWAS) to identify proteins with genetically regulated expression in plasma to be associated with PCa risk across populations. We develop genetic prediction models for expression of 1578, 1993, 1218, and 1390 proteins for African (n = 450), European (n = 758), Asian (n = 289), and Hispanic/Latino (n = 474) males, respectively, and evaluate associations of genetically regulated protein expression with PCa risk in 19,391 PCa cases and 61,608 controls of African population, 122,188 cases and 604,640 controls of European population, 10,809 cases and 95,790 controls of Asian population, and 3931 cases and 26,405 controls of Hispanic/Latino population. We identify three, four, 15, and 73 PCa-associated proteins in African, Hispanic/Latino, Asian, and European populations, respectively, and 83 in trans-population meta-analysis. There are both pan-population and population-specific associations. Our findings provide valuable insights into etiology of PCa.

Article Details

Volume / Issue Vol. 17, Issue 1
Published December 06, 2025
ISSN 2041-1723
Publisher Nature Portfolio

Journal Info

Nature Communications

Nature Portfolio

ISSN: 2041-1723 Open Access Life Sciences

Authors (22)

H

Hua Zhong

Department of Chemistry, National University of Singapore, 3 Science Drive 3, Singapore 117543, Republic of Singapore

J

Jingjing Zhu

State Key Laboratory of Advanced Fiber Materials, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering

S

Shuai Liu

College of Materials Science and Engineering

C

Chong Wu

L

Liang Wang

S

Seamus P. Whelton

C

Catherine H. Marshall

M

Michael J. Blaha

P

Peter Durda

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Larner College of Medicine, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA.

X

Xiuqing Guo

C

Craig W. Johnson

H

Henry J. Lin

K

Kent D. Taylor

The Institute for Translational Genomics and Population Sciences, Department of Pediatrics, The Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Torrance, CA, USA.

R

Russell P. Tracy

Laboratory for Clinical Biochemistry Research, Larner College of Medicine, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA.

R

Ronit I. Yarden

A

Ani W. Manichaikul

Department of Genome Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA.

S

Stephen S. Rich

Department of Genome Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA.

J

Jerome I. Rotter

R

Rajat Deo

R

Ruth F. Dubin

P

Peter Ganz

L

Lang Wu