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| Association between amino acids and primary malignant bone tumor: a Mendelian randomization study |
| LI Xiaoshan, WANG Manyi, ZHANG Huiru, WANG Shuntao, LIU Xinyue, ZENG Guqing
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| School of Nursing, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan 421001, China |
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Abstract Objective To investigate the causal association between amino acids and the primary malignant bone tumor and its underlying mechanism. Methods Genome-wide association study (GWAS) data of glycine, serine, arginine, glutamine, methionine, and leucine was sourced from the IEU OpenGWAS database and the GWAS Catalog. GWAS data of primary malignant bone tumor were obtained from the FinnGen database. Using each of the six amino acids as the exposure and primary malignant bone tumor as the outcome, two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis was performed with the inverse-variance weighted method as the primary approach. Multivariable MR analysis was employed to control for collinearity among amino acids. Sensitivity analyses were conducted using Cochran's Q test, MR-Egger regression and the MR Steiger test. The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis and protein-protein interaction network analysis were explored to explore potential mechanisms and identify key genes. Results MR analysis results indicated a statistically significant causal association between glycine and primary malignant bone tumor (OR=1.719, 95%CI: 1.083-2.728). No significant causal associations were found for the other five amino acids (all P>0.05). Multivariable MR analysis revealed that, after adjusting for the other five amino acids, confirmed a positive causal association between glycine and primary malignant bone tumor (OR=1.512, 95%CI: 1.125-2.031). Sensitivity analyses revealed no significant heterogeneity, horizontal pleiotropy, or reverse causality (all P>0.05). Genes associated with both glycine metabolism and primary malignant bone tumor were enriched in the JAK-STAT signaling pathway, with serine hydroxymethyltransferase 2 (SHMT2) identified as a key gene. Conclusion Higher glycine levels may increase the risk of primary malignant bone tumor via the SHMT2-JAK-STAT pathway.
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Received: 12 August 2025
Revised: 17 November 2025
Published: 25 December 2025
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