scholarly journals Genetic analysis of social-class mobility in five longitudinal studies

2018 ◽  
Vol 115 (31) ◽  
pp. E7275-E7284 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel W. Belsky ◽  
Benjamin W. Domingue ◽  
Robbee Wedow ◽  
Louise Arseneault ◽  
Jason D. Boardman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Longitudinal Studies ◽  
Social History ◽  
Social Mobility ◽  
Genome Wide Association Study ◽  
The United States ◽  
Biological Mechanism ◽  
Polygenic Score ◽  
Class Mobility ◽  
A Genome ◽  
Polygenic Scores

A summary genetic measure, called a “polygenic score,” derived from a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of education can modestly predict a person’s educational and economic success. This prediction could signal a biological mechanism: Education-linked genetics could encode characteristics that help people get ahead in life. Alternatively, prediction could reflect social history: People from well-off families might stay well-off for social reasons, and these families might also look alike genetically. A key test to distinguish biological mechanism from social history is if people with higher education polygenic scores tend to climb the social ladder beyond their parents’ position. Upward mobility would indicate education-linked genetics encodes characteristics that foster success. We tested if education-linked polygenic scores predicted social mobility in >20,000 individuals in five longitudinal studies in the United States, Britain, and New Zealand. Participants with higher polygenic scores achieved more education and career success and accumulated more wealth. However, they also tended to come from better-off families. In the key test, participants with higher polygenic scores tended to be upwardly mobile compared with their parents. Moreover, in sibling-difference analysis, the sibling with the higher polygenic score was more upwardly mobile. Thus, education GWAS discoveries are not mere correlates of privilege; they influence social mobility within a life. Additional analyses revealed that a mother’s polygenic score predicted her child’s attainment over and above the child’s own polygenic score, suggesting parents’ genetics can also affect their children’s attainment through environmental pathways. Education GWAS discoveries affect socioeconomic attainment through influence on individuals’ family-of-origin environments and their social mobility.

scholarly journals Genetic heterogeneity in depressive symptoms following the death of a spouse: Polygenic score analysis of the US Health and Retirement Study

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin W. Domingue ◽  
Hexuan Liu ◽  
Aysu Okbay ◽  
Daniel W. Belsky
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Life Stress ◽  
Genome Wide Association Study ◽  
The United States ◽  
Health And Retirement Study ◽  
Polygenic Score ◽  
Polygenic Scores ◽  
Retirement Study

AbstractExperience of stressful life events is associated with risk of depression. Yet many exposed individuals do not become depressed. A controversial hypothesis is that genetic factors influence vulnerability to depression following stress. This hypothesis is most commonly tested with a “diathesis-stress” model, in which genes confer excess vulnerability. We tested an alternative model, in which genes may buffer against the depressogenic effects of life stress. We measured the hypothesized genetic buffer using a polygenic score derived from a published genome-wide association study (GWAS) of subjective wellbeing. We tested if married older adults who had higher polygenic scores were less vulnerable to depressive symptoms following the death of their spouse as compared to age-peers who had also lost their spouse and who had lower polygenic scores. We analyzed data from N=9,453 non-Hispanic white adults in the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), a population-representative longitudinal study of older adults in the United States. HRS adults with higher wellbeing polygenic scores experienced fewer depressive symptoms during follow-up. Those who survived death of their spouses during follow-up (n=1,829) experienced a sharp increase in depressive symptoms following the death and returned toward baseline over the following two years. Having a higher polygenic score buffered against increased depressive symptoms following a spouse's death. Effects were small and clinical relevance is uncertain, although polygenic score analyses may provide clues to behavioral pathways that can serve as therapeutic targets. Future studies of gene-environment interplay in depression may benefit from focus on genetics discovered for putative protective factors.

scholarly journals Genome-wide polygenic score to identify a monogenic risk-equivalent for coronary disease

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amit V. Khera ◽  
Mark Chaffin ◽  
Krishna G. Aragam ◽  
Connor A. Emdin ◽  
Derek Klarin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Coronary Disease ◽  
Fold Increase ◽  
Predictive Capacity ◽  
Cumulative Impact ◽  
Polygenic Score ◽  
Genome Wide ◽  
A Genome ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Polygenic Scores ◽  
Artery Disease

AbstractIdentification of individuals at increased genetic risk for a complex disorder such as coronary disease can facilitate treatments or enhanced screening strategies. A rare monogenic mutation associated with increased cholesterol is present in ~1:250 carriers and confers an up to 4-fold increase in coronary risk when compared with non-carriers. Although individual common polymorphisms have modest predictive capacity, their cumulative impact can be aggregated into a polygenic score. Here, we develop a new, genome-wide polygenic score that aggregates information from 6.6 million common polymorphisms and show that this score can similarly identify individuals with a 4-fold increased risk for coronary disease. In >400,000 participants from UK Biobank, the score conforms to a normal distribution and those in the top 2.5% of the distribution are at 4-fold increased risk compared to the remaining 97.5%. Similar patterns are observed with genome-wide polygenic scores for two additional diseases – breast cancer and severe obesity.One Sentence SummaryA genome-wide polygenic score identifies 2.5% of the population born with a 4-fold increased risk for coronary artery disease.

scholarly journals Genetic Effects on Longitudinal Cognitive Decline During the Early Stages of Alzheimer's Disease

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Atul Kumar ◽  
Maryam Shoai ◽  
Sebastian Palmqvist ◽  
Erik Stomrud ◽  
John Hardy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Cognitive Decline ◽  
Genome Wide Association Study ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Cognitive Change ◽  
Preclinical Ad ◽  
Genome Wide ◽  
A Genome ◽  
Polygenic Scores

Abstract Background Cognitive decline in early-stage Alzheimer’s disease (AD) may depend on genetic variability. Methods In the Swedish BioFINDER study, we used polygenic scores (PGS) (for AD, intelligence and educational attainment), and genetic variants (in a genome-wide association study [GWAS]) to predict longitudinal cognitive change (measured by MMSE) over a mean of 4.2 years. We included 555 β-amyloid (Aβ) negative cognitively unimpaired (CU) individuals, 206 Aβ-positive CU (preclinical AD), 110 Aβ-negative mild cognitive impairment (MCI) patients, and 146 Aβ-positive MCI patients (prodromal AD). Results Polygenic scores for AD (in Aβ-positive individuals) and intelligence (independent of Aβ-status) were associated with cognitive decline. Eight genes were associated with cognitive decline in GWAS (3 independent of Aβ-status). Conclusions AD risk genes may influence cognitive decline in early AD, while genes related to intelligence may modulate cognitive decline irrespective of disease. Therapies targeting the implicated biological pathways may modulate the clinical course of AD.

scholarly journals Genome-wide association study implicates CHRNA2 in cannabis use disorder

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ditte Demontis ◽  
Veera Manikandan Rajagopal ◽  
Thomas D. Als ◽  
Jakob Grove ◽  
Jonatan Pallesen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Association Study ◽  
Genome Wide Association Study ◽  
Significant Risk ◽  
The United States ◽  
Cannabis Use ◽  
Genome Wide Association ◽  
Cannabis Use Disorder ◽  
Genome Wide ◽  
Independent Population ◽  
A Genome

Introductory paragraphCannabis is the most frequently used illicit psychoactive substance worldwide1. Life time use has been reported among 35-40% of adults in Denmark2 and the United States3. Cannabis use is increasing in the population4–6 and among users around 9% become dependent7. The genetic risk component is high with heritability estimates of 518–70%9. Here we report the first genome-wide significant risk locus for cannabis use disorder (CUD, P=9.31×10−12) that replicates in an independent population (Preplication=3.27×10−3, Pmetaanalysis=9.09×10−12). The finding is based on a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of 2,387 cases and 48,985 controls followed by replication in 5,501 cases and 301,041 controls. The index SNP (rs56372821) is a strong eQTL for CHRNA2 and analyses of the genetic regulated gene expressions identified significant association of CHRNA2 expression in cerebellum with CUD. This indicates a potential therapeutic use in CUD of compounds with agonistic effect on the neuronal acetylcholine receptor alpha-2 subunit encoded by CHRNA2. At the polygenic level analyses revealed a significant decrease in the risk of CUD with increased load of variants associated with cognitive performance.

scholarly journals Genomic Dissection of Anthracnose (Colletotrichum sublineolum) Resistance Response in Sorghum Differential Line SC112-14

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 1403-1412
Author(s):  
Clara M. Cruet-Burgos ◽  
Hugo E. Cuevas ◽  
Louis K. Prom ◽  
Joseph E. Knoll ◽  
Lauren R. Stutts ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Candidate Genes ◽  
Genome Wide Association Study ◽  
Recombinant Inbred Lines ◽  
Genome Scan ◽  
The United States ◽  
Resistance Locus ◽  
Chromosome 5 ◽  
Resistance Response ◽  
Colletotrichum Sublineolum ◽  
A Genome

Sorghum production is expanding to warmer and more humid regions where its production is being limited by multiple fungal pathogens. Anthracnose, caused by Colletotrichum sublineolum, is one of the major diseases in these regions, where it can cause yield losses of both grain and biomass. In this study, 114 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) derived from resistant sorghum line SC112-14 were evaluated at four distinct geographic locations in the United States for response to anthracnose. A genome scan using a high-density linkage map of 3,838 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) detected two loci at 5.25 and 1.18 Mb on chromosomes 5 and 6, respectively, that explain up to 59% and 44% of the observed phenotypic variation. A bin-mapping approach using a subset of 31 highly informative RILs was employed to determine the disease response to inoculation with ten anthracnose pathotypes in the greenhouse. A genome scan showed that the 5.25 Mb region on chromosome 5 is associated with a resistance response to nine pathotypes. Five SNP markers were developed and used to fine map the locus on chromosome 5 by evaluating 1,500 segregating F2:3 progenies. Based on the genotypic and phenotypic analyses of 11 recombinants, the locus was narrowed down to a 470-kb genomic region. Following a genome-wide association study based on 574 accessions previously phenotyped and genotyped, the resistance locus was delimited to a 34-kb genomic interval with five candidate genes. All five candidate genes encode proteins associated with plant immune systems, suggesting they may act in synergy in the resistance response.

Abstract 18116: Genetic Associations With Atherosclerotic Abdominal Aortic Calcification

Circulation ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 132 (suppl_3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rajeev Malhotra ◽  
Andreas C Mauer ◽  
Jie Yao ◽  
Xiuqing Guo ◽  
Albert V Smith ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genome Wide Association Study ◽  
The United States ◽  
Aortic Calcification ◽  
Chromosome 1 ◽  
Abdominal Aortic Calcification ◽  
European Descent ◽  
Genome Wide ◽  
Abdominal Aortic ◽  
A Genome ◽  
Replication Analysis

Background: There is limited information regarding genetic contributions to atherosclerotic aortic calcification, an important predictor of cardiovascular disease. Methods: We conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) meta-analysis with subsequent replication analysis to define single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with abdominal (AAC) or thoracic aortic calcification (TAC). AAC and TAC were quantified using multi-detector computed tomography. SNPs were assayed by Illumina or Affymetrix arrays and imputation at the cohort level was performed using data from the 1000 Genomes project. Results: 9417 individuals of European descent from four cohorts of the Cohorts for Heart and Aging Research in Genome Epidemiology (CHARGE) consortium were included in the AAC discovery analysis and 8422 individuals from five cohorts in the TAC discovery analysis. SNPs achieving genome-wide significance were tested for replication in four additional cohorts with Hispanic-American (HA) and African-American (AA) participants. Two regions contained SNPs associated at a genome-wide level for AAC (p<5.0x10 -8 , Table), the HDAC9 (chromosome 7, 6 SNPs) and RAP1GAP (chromosome 1, 2 SNPs) genetic loci. All six HDAC9 SNPs were associated with AAC in HA. Among these, rs2107595 was associated with AAC both in HA (p=2.8x10 -6 ) and in AA (p=0.01). SNPs in RAP1GAP were not associated with AAC in the replication analysis. No SNPs were associated with TAC at the genome-wide threshold. SNPs in the HDAC9 locus were associated with other forms of calcification (coronary artery calcification) as well as clinically apparent coronary heart disease (p<0.05). Conclusions: SNPs in the HDAC9 locus are associated with the presence of AAC in participants of European descent. This association was replicated in other ethnic groups in the United States. These findings suggest a novel role for HDAC9 in the development of abdominal aortic calcification.

Abstract P358: Discovery Loci and Generalization of Platelet Count Associations in the Hispanic Community Health Study: Study of Latinos (HCHS/SoL)

Circulation ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 131 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chani J Hodonsky ◽  
Ursula Schick ◽  
Jean Morrison ◽  
Cathy Laurie ◽  
John H Eckfeldt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Platelet Count ◽  
Mixed Model ◽  
Linear Mixed Model ◽  
Structural Integrity ◽  
Genome Wide Association Study ◽  
Genetic Model ◽  
The United States ◽  
Actin Binding ◽  
Health Study ◽  
A Genome

Background: The biology of platelets_anuclear megakaryocyte fragments required for clotting_is well defined, with abnormalities resulting in clotting disorders ranging from asymptomatic to severe. Although platelet count (PLT) is highly heritable (h 2 =0.57 in NHANES), genetic regulation of this trait remains incompletely characterized. In particular, Hispanic Latinos are a diverse population in which the genetic variability of PLT has not been analyzed. We aimed to 1) identify novel loci associated with PLT in participants of HCHS/SoL; and 2) determine if previously identified PLT loci generalize to the Hispanic Latino population. Methods: We performed a genome-wide association study of PLT in 12,491 participants of HCHS/SoL, which includes individuals with Dominican, Puerto Rican, Mexican, Cuban, South American, and Central American ancestral origins residing in the United States. Participants were genotyped on the Illumina SoL Omni2.5M array and imputed to the 1000 Genomes Phase I Reference panel. We implemented linear mixed-model regression assuming an additive genetic model, adjusting for sex, age, study center, ancestry and sample weights, and including random effects for individual relatedness, household, and block group. Results: Ten independent loci were significantly (α = 5x10 -8 ) associated with PLT in HCHS/SoL and 13 of 57 previously identified platelet-count GWAS loci generalized to HCHS/SoL (+/-500kb, α = 8.78x10 -4 ). Discovery loci included a significant association near GABBR1 (rs3131857, MAF = 40%, β = -0.16) and a suggestive association near ETV7 (rs9470264, MAF = 20%, β = -0.19). Furthermore, a noncoding variant in ACTN1 was associated with increased PLT (rs117672662, MAF = 6%, β = 0.61); ACTN1 codes for alpha-actinin, a multi-isoform actin-binding protein involved in cytoskeleton organization and platelet/megakaryocyte structural integrity. Missense mutations in ACTN1 were recently implicated in congenital thrombocytopenia; exome sequencing also associated this locus with PLT, which supports a potential functional role in PLT for this gene. Conditional regression analyses to assess secondary association signals are in progress. Conclusions: Genetic associations in two discovery loci ( ETV7 and GABBR1 ) underscore the benefit of using diverse populations in GWAS. Expanding the number of loci associated with platelet count will help elucidate disease mechanisms and develop approaches to treat platelet disorders in populations of all ancestries.

Peopling the Portholes: National Identity and Maritime Museums in the U.S. and U.K.

2004 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 23-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
Phyllis Leffler
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
National Identity ◽  
Social History ◽  
Social Mobility ◽  
Social Inclusion ◽  
The United States ◽  
National Identities ◽  
Focal Points ◽  
National Values ◽  
The U.S

This research essay explores both the substance and style of exhibits at maritime museums in Britain and the United States. The museums selected reflect how social history concerns affect representations of national identities and national values on both sides of the Atlantic. Issues of social inclusion and diversity prevail, but are treated in substantially different ways in Britain and the U.S. Representations of life at sea, relocation and travel, and commerce provide focal points for exploring these differences. Issues of class, race, loss and guilt, social mobility, and national identity are woven into the analysis.

scholarly journals Cold Conditioned: Discovery of Novel Alleles for Low-Temperature Tolerance in the Vavilov Barley Collection

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmad H. Sallam ◽  
Kevin P. Smith ◽  
Gongshe Hu ◽  
Jamie Sherman ◽  
Peter Stephen Baenziger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Low Temperature ◽  
Genome Wide Association Study ◽  
Spring Barley ◽  
The United States ◽  
High Temperature Stress ◽  
Temperature Tolerance ◽  
Early Summer ◽  
Winter Hardiness ◽  
A Genome

Climate changes leading to higher summer temperatures can adversely affect cool season crops like spring barley. In the Upper Midwest region of the United States, one option for escaping this stress factor is to plant winter or facultative type cultivars in the autumn and then harvest in early summer before the onset of high-temperature stress. However, the major challenge in breeding such cultivars is incorporating sufficient winter hardiness to survive the extremely low temperatures that commonly occur in this production region. To broaden the genetic base for winter hardiness in the University of Minnesota breeding program, 2,214 accessions from the N. I. Vavilov Institute of Plant Industry (VIR) were evaluated for winter survival (WS) in St. Paul, Minnesota. From this field trial, 267 (&gt;12%) accessions survived [designated as the VIR-low-temperature tolerant (LTT) panel] and were subsequently evaluated for WS across six northern and central Great Plains states. The VIR-LTT panel was genotyped with the Illumina 9K SNP chip, and then a genome-wide association study was performed on seven WS datasets. Twelve significant associations for WS were identified, including the previously reported frost resistance gene FR-H2 as well as several novel ones. Multi-allelic haplotype analysis revealed the most favorable alleles for WS in the VIR-LTT panel as well as another recently studied panel (CAP-LTT). Seventy-eight accessions from the VIR-LTT panel exhibited a high and consistent level of WS and select ones are being used in winter barley breeding programs in the United States and in a multiparent population.

scholarly journals Nightmares share strong genetic risk with sleep and psychiatric disorders

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanna M Ollila ◽  
Nasa Sinnott-Armstrong ◽  
Katri Kantojärvi ◽  
Teemu Palviainen ◽  
Anita Pandit ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Psychiatric Disorders ◽  
Genetic Risk ◽  
Genome Wide Association Study ◽  
Sleep Problems ◽  
The United States ◽  
Psychological Problems ◽  
Traumatic Experiences ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
A Genome

ABSTRACTNightmares are vivid, extended and extremely dysphoric dreams that awaken the dreamer. Twin studies indicate that nightmare frequency has a heritability between 36 and 51% providing evidence for genetic factors underlying predisposition to nightmares. Furthermore, while cross-sectional epidemiological findings suggest that heavy alcohol usage, traumatic experiences and psychiatric diseases associate with nightmares, the causal relationships between these conditions and nightmares have remained unknown. To examine the biological mechanisms behind nightmares, we performed a genome-wide association study in 28,596 individuals from Finland and the United States. We identified individual genetic variants that predispose to nightmares near MYOF (rs701873, p=2.18e-8) and PTPRJ (rs11039471,p=3.7e-8), a gene previously associated with sleep duration. We found a strong genetic correlation between the frequency of nightmares and traits related to personality and psychiatric disorders; neuroticism (rg=0.59, p=8e-7), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (rg=0.58, p=0.004) as well as major depressive disorder (rg=0.68, p=7e-4), and sleep traits; and daytime sleepiness (rg=0.62, p=1e-6) and insomnia (rg=0.50, p=1.87e-5). Analysis of directionality using mendelian randomization showed a significant effect from feelings of fed-up (p=0.001), nervous (p=0.004) and miserableness (p=0.0045) to nightmares with no evidence of pleiotropy and no evidence of nightmares predisposing to psychiatric or psychological problems. Our findings suggest that nightmares are caused by unique genetic risk factors, and here we identify the first individual genetic associations. In addition, a substantial effect on nightmares is conveyed through underlying psychological and sleep problems, with psychological problems being causal for nightmares.

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