Multitrait GWAS and functional validation reveal genetic loci for gastric cancer

Gastric cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related death, particularly in East Asia, yet its genetic basis remains incompletely understood. Using genome-wide association study data from BioBank Japan, we show that gastric cancer shares significant genetic associations with 25 other phenotypes, most notably cardiovascular conditions such as angina pectoris and myocardial infarction. Mendelian randomization supports a causal role of these traits in gastric cancer risk. Multitrait analysis of GWAS reveals a novel pleiotropic locus at 12q22 (rs12814712) that is shared between gastric cancer and cardiovascular traits. Functional experiments demonstrate that the risk allele at this locus reduces transcriptional activity and downregulates the expression of nearby genes, particularly VEZT. In gastric cancer cells, overexpression of VEZT and NR2C1 suppress proliferation and migration, whereas their knockdown promotes malignancy. Our analysis identifies rs12814712 as a novel susceptibility locus for gastric cancer and underscores its regulatory role in disease-related gene networks.