scholarly journals Over-representation of potential SP4 target genes within schizophrenia-risk genes

Author(s):  
Xianjin Zhou

AbstractReduction of Sp4 expression causes age-dependent hippocampal vacuolization and many other intermediate phenotypes of schizophrenia in Sp4 hypomorphic mice. Recent human genetic studies from both the Schizophrenia Exome Sequencing Meta-Analysis (SCHEMA) and the Genome-Wide Association Study (GWAS) validated SP4 as a schizophrenia-risk gene over the exome-wide or the genome-wide significance. Truncation of the human SP4 gene has an odds ratio of 9.37 (3.38–29.7) for schizophrenia. Despite successful identification of many schizophrenia-risk genes, it is unknown whether and how these risk genes may interact with each other in the development of schizophrenia. By taking advantage of the specific localization of the GC-boxes bound by SP4 transcription factors, I analyzed the relative abundance of these GC-boxes in the proximal promoter regions of schizophrenia-risk genes. I found that the GC-box containing genes are significantly over-represented within schizophrenia-risk genes, suggesting that SP4 is not only a high-risk gene for schizophrenia, but may also act as a hub of network in the regulation of many other schizophrenia-risk genes via these GC-boxes in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xianjin Zhou

Reduction of Sp4 expression causes age-dependent hippocampal vacuolization and many other intermediate phenotypes of schizophrenia in Sp4 hypomorphic mice. Recent human genetic studies from both the Schizophrenia Exome Sequencing Meta-Analysis (SCHEMA) and the Genome-Wide Association Study (GWAS) validated SP4 as a schizophrenia-risk gene over the exome-wide or the genome-wide significance. Truncation of human SP4 gene has an odds ratio of 9.37 (3.38-29.7) for schizophrenia. Despite successful identification of many schizophrenia-risk genes, it is unknown whether and how these risk genes may interact with each other in the development of schizophrenia. By taking advantage of the specific localization of the GC-boxes bound by SP4 transcription factors, I analyzed the relative abundance of these GC-boxes in the proximal promoter regions of schizophrenia-risk genes. I found that the GC-box containing genes are significantly over-represented within schizophrenia-risk genes, suggesting that SP4 is not only a high-risk gene for schizophrenia, but may also act as a hub of network in regulation of many other schizophrenia-risk genes via these GC-boxes in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia.


2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhongshan Cheng ◽  
Chureerat Phokaew ◽  
Yi-Ling Chou ◽  
Dongbing Lai ◽  
Jacquelyn L. Meyers ◽  
...  

AbstractCannabis, the most widely used illicit drug, can induce hallucinations. Our understanding of the biology of cannabis-induced hallucinations (Ca-HL) is limited. We used the Semi-Structured Assessment for Drug Dependence and Alcoholism (SSADDA) to identify cannabis-induced hallucinations (Ca-HL) among long-term cannabis users (used cannabis ≥1 year and ≥100 times). A genome-wide association study (GWAS) was conducted by analyzing European Americans (EAs) and African Americans (AAs) in Yale-Penn 1 and 2 cohorts individually, then meta-analyzing the two cohorts within population. In the meta-analysis of Yale-Penn EAs (n = 1917), one genome-wide significant (GWS) signal emerged at the CHRM3 locus, represented by rs115455482 (P = 1.66 × 10−10), rs74722579 (P = 2.81 × 10−9), and rs1938228 (P = 1.57 × 10−8); signals were GWS in Yale-Penn 1 EAs (n = 1092) and nominally significant in Yale-Penn 2 EAs (n = 825). Two SNPs, rs115455482 and rs74722579, were available from the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism data (COGA; 3630 long-term cannabis users). The signals did not replicate, but when meta-analyzing Yale-Penn and COGA EAs, the two SNPs’ association signals were increased (meta-P-values 1.32 × 10−10 and 2.60 × 10−9, respectively; n = 4291). There were no significant findings in AAs, but in the AA meta-analysis (n = 3624), nominal significance was seen for rs74722579. The rs115455482*T risk allele was associated with lower CHRM3 expression in the thalamus. CHRM3 was co-expressed with three psychosis risk genes (GABAG2, CHRNA4, and HRH3) in the thalamus and other human brain tissues and mouse GABAergic neurons. This work provides strong evidence for the association of CHRM3 with Ca-HL and provides insight into the potential involvement of thalamus for this trait.


2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elena López-Isac ◽  
◽  
Marialbert Acosta-Herrera ◽  
Martin Kerick ◽  
Shervin Assassi ◽  
...  

Abstract Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is an autoimmune disease that shows one of the highest mortality rates among rheumatic diseases. We perform a large genome-wide association study (GWAS), and meta-analysis with previous GWASs, in 26,679 individuals and identify 27 independent genome-wide associated signals, including 13 new risk loci. The novel associations nearly double the number of genome-wide hits reported for SSc thus far. We define 95% credible sets of less than 5 likely causal variants in 12 loci. Additionally, we identify specific SSc subtype-associated signals. Functional analysis of high-priority variants shows the potential function of SSc signals, with the identification of 43 robust target genes through HiChIP. Our results point towards molecular pathways potentially involved in vasculopathy and fibrosis, two main hallmarks in SSc, and highlight the spectrum of critical cell types for the disease. This work supports a better understanding of the genetic basis of SSc and provides directions for future functional experiments.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Niina Sandholm ◽  
Joanne B Cole ◽  
Viji Nair ◽  
Xin Sheng ◽  
Hongbo Liu ◽  
...  

Background: Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney disease, and heritability studies demonstrate a substantial, yet poorly understood, contribution of genetics to kidney complications in people with diabetes. Methods: We performed genome-wide association study (GWAS) meta-analyses using ten different phenotypic definitions of diabetic kidney disease (DKD), including nearly 27,000 individuals with diabetes, and integrated the results with various kidney omics datasets. Results: The meta-analysis identified a novel low frequency intronic variant (rs72831309) in the TENM2 gene encoding teneurin transmembrane protein 2 associated with a lower risk of the combined chronic kidney disease (CKD; eGFR<60 ml/min/1.73 m2) and DKD (microalbuminuria or worse) phenotype ("CKD-DKD", odds ratio 2.08, p=9.8×10-9). Gene-level analysis identified ten genes associated with DKD (COL20A1, DCLK1, EIF4E, PTPRN - RESP18, GPR158, INIP - SNX30, LSM14A, and MFF, p<2.7×10-6). Integration of GWAS data with human glomerular and tubular expression data in a transcriptome-wide association study demonstrated higher tubular AKIRIN2 gene expression in DKD versus non-DKD controls (p=1.1×10-6). The lead SNPs within the DCLK1, AKIRIN2, SNX30 and three other gene regions significantly alterated the methylation at this region in kidneys (p<2.2×10-11). Expression of target genes in kidney tubules or glomeruli correlated with relevant pathological phenotypes. For example, tubular TENM2 expression positively correlated with eGFR (p=2.3×10-9) and negatively with tubulointerstitial fibrosis (p=4.7×10-9), tubular DCLK1 expression positively correlated with fibrosis (p=1.6×10-12), and SNX30 level positively correlated with eGFR (p=7.6×10-13) and negatively with fibrosis (p<2×10-16). Conclusions: GWAS meta-analysis and integration with renal omics data points to novel genes contributing to pathogenesis of DKD.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jaakko Laaksonen ◽  
Pashupati P. Mishra ◽  
Ilkka Seppälä ◽  
Leo-Pekka Lyytikäinen ◽  
Emma Raitoharju ◽  
...  

AbstractHigh blood pressure (BP) is a major risk factor for many noncommunicable diseases. The effect of mitochondrial DNA single-nucleotide polymorphisms (mtSNPs) on BP is less known than that of nuclear SNPs. We investigated the mitochondrial genetic determinants of systolic, diastolic, and mean arterial BP. MtSNPs were determined from peripheral blood by sequencing or with genome-wide association study SNP arrays in two independent Finnish cohorts, the Young Finns Study and the Finnish Cardiovascular Study, respectively. In total, over 4200 individuals were included. The effects of individual common mtSNPs, with an additional focus on sex-specificity, and aggregates of rare mtSNPs grouped by mitochondrial genes were evaluated by meta-analysis of linear regression and a sequence kernel association test, respectively. We accounted for the predicted pathogenicity of the rare variants within protein-encoding and the tRNA regions. In the meta-analysis of 87 common mtSNPs, we did not observe significant associations with any of the BP traits. Sex-specific and rare-variant analyses did not pinpoint any significant associations either. Our results are in agreement with several previous studies suggesting that mtDNA variation does not have a significant role in the regulation of BP. Future studies might need to reconsider the mechanisms thought to link mtDNA with hypertension.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alvaro N. Barbeira ◽  
◽  
Rodrigo Bonazzola ◽  
Eric R. Gamazon ◽  
Yanyu Liang ◽  
...  

AbstractThe resources generated by the GTEx consortium offer unprecedented opportunities to advance our understanding of the biology of human diseases. Here, we present an in-depth examination of the phenotypic consequences of transcriptome regulation and a blueprint for the functional interpretation of genome-wide association study-discovered loci. Across a broad set of complex traits and diseases, we demonstrate widespread dose-dependent effects of RNA expression and splicing. We develop a data-driven framework to benchmark methods that prioritize causal genes and find no single approach outperforms the combination of multiple approaches. Using colocalization and association approaches that take into account the observed allelic heterogeneity of gene expression, we propose potential target genes for 47% (2519 out of 5385) of the GWAS loci examined.


Circulation ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 142 (Suppl_3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Coles ◽  
Stephanie Giamberardino ◽  
Carol Haynes ◽  
Ruicong She ◽  
Hongsheng Gui ◽  
...  

Background: Exercise has shown benefit in patients with systolic heart failure, including in the clinical trial Heart Failure: A Controlled Trial Investigating Outcomes of Exercise Training (HF-ACTION). There is heterogeneity in who derives benefit from exercise, and the biologic mechanisms of favorable response to exercise in systolic heart failure are not well understood. Hypothesis: Genetic variation is an underlying factor influencing heterogeneity in response to exercise in patients with systolic heart failure. Methods: The HF-ACTION trial randomized individuals with systolic heart failure (left ventricular ejection fraction <35%) to supervised exercise versus usual care. In this study, we performed a genome wide association study (GWAS) in the HF-ACTION biorepository using the Axiom Biobank1 genotyping array (13,403,591 single nucleotide polymorphisms [SNPs] after quality control on directly genotyped and 1000 genomes imputed data), in N=377 study subjects who completed the supervised exercise arm. Using change in peak VO2 as our outcome, we ran within-ancestry GWASes, modeling SNP effects as both additive and dominant, and conducted across-ancestry meta-analysis within each genetic model. Results: Five loci met genome-wide significance in the European ancestry analyses, 5 loci in the African ancestry, and 8 in the meta-analyses. The two most significantly associated loci across both additive and dominant meta-analysis models were rs111577308 located in the histone acetylation for transcription elongator complex 3 gene ( ELP3, p=1.212x10 -9 ) and rs75444785 located in the phosphodiesterase 4D gene ( PDE4D , p=1.565x10 -9 ). ELP3 is responsible for histone modifications related to DNA transcription factor complexes, and PDE4D is involved in cyclic AMP cell signaling. In silico analysis of these loci showed that they are in linkage with regions associated with skeletal muscle and peripheral vascular disease phenotypes. Conclusions: Using a genome-wide association study in a well-phenotyped clinical trial of exercise in systolic heart failure, we found common genetic variants in genes involved in DNA transcription histone modification and cyclic AMP cell signaling that are associated with a more favorable response to exercise.


2018 ◽  
Vol 214 (1) ◽  
pp. 36-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chiara Fabbri ◽  
Siegfried Kasper ◽  
Alexander Kautzky ◽  
Lucie Bartova ◽  
Markus Dold ◽  
...  

BackgroundTreatment-resistant depression (TRD) is the most problematic outcome of depression in terms of functional impairment, suicidal thoughts and decline in physical health.AimsTo investigate the genetic predictors of TRD using a genome-wide approach to contribute to the development of precision medicine.MethodA sample recruited by the European Group for the Study of Resistant Depression (GSRD) including 1148 patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) was characterised for the occurrence of TRD (lack of response to at least two adequate antidepressant treatments) and genotyped using the Infinium PsychArray. Three clinically relevant patient groups were considered: TRD, responders and non-responders to the first antidepressant trial, thus outcomes were based on comparisons of these groups. Genetic analyses were performed at the variant, gene and gene-set (i.e. functionally related genes) level. Additive regression models of the outcomes and relevant covariates were used in the GSRD participants and in a fixed-effect meta-analysis performed between GSRD, STAR*D (n = 1316) and GENDEP (n = 761) participants.ResultsNo individual polymorphism or gene was associated with TRD, although some suggestive signals showed enrichment in cytoskeleton regulation, transcription modulation and calcium signalling. Two gene sets (GO:0043949 and GO:0000183) were associated with TRD versus response and TRD versus response and non-response to the first treatment in the GSRD participants and in the meta-analysis, respectively (corrected P = 0.030 and P = 0.027).ConclusionsThe identified gene sets are involved in cyclic adenosine monophosphate mediated signal and chromatin silencing, two processes previously implicated in antidepressant action. They represent possible biomarkers to implement personalised antidepressant treatments and targets for new antidepressants.Declaration of interestD.S. has received grant/research support from GlaxoSmithKline and Lundbeck; has served as a consultant or on advisory boards for AstraZeneca, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly, Janssen and Lundbeck. S.M. has been a consultant or served on advisory boards for: AstraZeneca, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Forest, Johnson & Johnson, Leo, Lundbeck, Medelink, Neurim, Pierre Fabre, Richter. S.K. has received grant/research support from Eli Lilly, Lundbeck, Bristol-Myers Squibb, GlaxoSmithKline, Organon, Sepracor and Servier; has served as a consultant or on advisory boards for AstraZeneca, Bristol-Myers Squibb, GlaxoSmithKline, Eli Lilly, Lundbeck, Pfizer, Organon, Schwabe, Sepracor, Servier, Janssen and Novartis; and has served on speakers' bureaus for AstraZeneca, Eli Lily, Lundbeck, Schwabe, Sepracor, Servier, Pierre Fabre, Janssen and Neuraxpharm. J.Z. has received grant/research support from Lundbeck, Servier, Brainsway and Pfizer, has served as a consultant or on advisory boards for Servier, Pfizer, Abbott, Lilly, Actelion, AstraZeneca and Roche and has served on speakers' bureaus for Lundbeck, Roch, Lilly, Servier, Pfizer and Abbott. J.M. is a member of the Board of the Lundbeck International Neuroscience Foundation and of Advisory Board of Servier. A.S. is or has been consultant/speaker for: Abbott, AbbVie, Angelini, Astra Zeneca, Clinical Data, Boehringer, Bristol Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly, GlaxoSmithKline, Innovapharma, Italfarmaco, Janssen, Lundbeck, Naurex, Pfizer, Polifarma, Sanofi and Servier. C.M.L. receives research support from RGA UK Services Limited.


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