Revealing drug targets for sepsis: An association study integrating Mendelian randomization, eQTL, pQTL, and protein–protein interaction networks

This study aims to reveal drug targets for sepsis: an association study integrating Mendelian randomization (MR), expression quantitative trait loci, protein quantitative trait loci, and protein-protein interaction networks. We identified 43 druggable proteins associated with sepsis, with B3GALT6 emerging as a key player (P = 5.24E-06). Sensitivity analyses indicated no significant heterogeneity among the proteins tested, reinforcing the robustness of our findings. Bioinformatics analyses demonstrated that B3GALT6 expression was significantly lower in sepsis patients compared to healthy controls across multiple datasets (P < .001), suggesting its potential utility as a diagnostic biomarker. Additionally, Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses revealed critical pathways altered in sepsis, including multivesicular body assembly and ubiquitin-dependent protein catabolic processes. Our results highlight B3GALT6 as a promising therapeutic target and prognostic marker for sepsis, with implications for future research aimed at developing innovative treatment strategies. Overall, this study provides a foundation for further exploration of druggable proteins in sepsis, emphasizing the need for additional investigations to validate these findings in clinical settings and facilitate the translation of these insights into effective therapeutic interventions.