Articles
23 October 2024
Vol. 17 No. 2 (2025)
https://doi.org/10.4081/dr.2024.10106

Mendelian randomization analysis of the causal relationship between immune cells and keloid

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Mendelian randomization, keloid, immune cells, causality, myeloid cells
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Authors

Jingwen Zou
Department of Dermatologic Surgery, Dermatology Hospital of Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
Pengkhun Nov
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7016-8285
Department of Radiation Oncology, Zhujiang Hospital of Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
Kunpeng Du
dkp321098@smu.edu.cn
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0684-7291
Department of Radiation Oncology, Zhujiang Hospital of Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.

Immune cells play complex roles in the formation of keloid. We aimed to investigate the causal relationship between immune cells and keloid and provide genetic evidence for the association between immune cells and keloid risk. Based on data from a genome-wide association study (GWAS), we performed a comprehensive two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis of 731 immune cell traits in 481,912 keloid cases. We used the inverse-variance weighting (IVW) method as the primary analysis. Then, a comprehensive sensitivity analysis was adopted to verify the results’ robustness, heterogeneity, and horizontal pleiotropy. Finally, reverse MR analysis was performed. The IVW method in forward MR analysis showed that CD66b++ myeloid cell AC was negatively associated with keloid risk (OR<1, p<0.05). Consistently, reverse MR analysis showed that keloid risk was negatively associated with CD66b++ myeloid cell AC (OR=0.85, p=0.012). No significant horizontal pleiotropy or heterogeneity was observed. The results of MR analysis demonstrate a bidirectional causal association between CD66b++ myeloid cell AC and keloid formation, suggesting that CD66b++ myeloid cell AC is a protective factor against keloid.

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Supporting Agencies

This work was supported by the Medical Scientific Research Foundation of Guangdong Province, China (Grant No. B2024332); the 2024 Basic Research ‘Nursery’ Project of the Dermatology Hospital of Southern Medical University (Grant No. BR202401); and the Science and Technology Program of Guangzhou (Grant No. 2025A04J4124); Science and Technology Program of Guangzhou (No. 2024A04J4802).

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Mendelian randomization analysis of the causal relationship between immune cells and keloid. (2024). Dermatology Reports, 17(2). https://doi.org/10.4081/dr.2024.10106
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