Research Paper Volume 18 pp 45—59

IL6R eQTL effects supporting protective association with mortality. The data are derived from GTEx v8 (Whole Blood) and large-scale GWAS consortia. This forest plot displays the cis-eQTL effects of genetic variants used as instrumental variables in our Mendelian randomization analysis of IL6R expression and all-cause mortality. Each row corresponds to a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), with effect sizes (β) representing the change in IL6R gene expression per allele, and horizontal bars indicating 95% confidence intervals. The red vertical line indicates no effect (β = 0). These results provide functional support for a protective role of higher IL6R expression in reducing mortality, and confirm the biological validity of the selected instruments. Abbreviations: eQTL: expression quantitative trait loci; SNP: single nucleotide polymorphism; remaining abbreviations as Figure 1.