SLC25A37 is casually associated with the increased incidence of benign prostatic hyperplasia

The etiology of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) remains unclear. Here, we conducted a combined analysis integrating single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) and Mendelian randomization (MR) to reveal the causal effect of potential genes associated with the incidence of BPH. Based on scRNA-seq, we found the number of monocytes increased in prostate transition zone tissues of BPH patients and analyzed the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) specific to monocytes. We identified SLC25A37, a member of solute carrier transporters, was casually associated with increased incidence of BPH based on MR, Bayesian colocalization, and reverse MR analyses. Follow-up analysis showed SLC25A37 was involved in inflammation and cell proliferation-related signaling pathways in classical monocytes in prostate transition zone tissues. We also revealed the potential associations between the SLC25A37 gene and BPH pathogenic genes, current BPH drug targets, as well as the patient’s age, providing novel insights into the underlying mechanism and potential therapeutic options of BPH.