scholarly journals Twenty-Five Novel Loci for Carotid Intima-Media Thickness: A Genome-Wide Association Study in >45 000 Individuals and Meta-Analysis of >100 000 Individuals

Author(s):  
Ming Wai Yeung ◽  
Siqi Wang ◽  
Yordi J. van de Vegte ◽  
Oleg Borisov ◽  
Jessica van Setten ◽  
...  

Objective: Carotid artery intima-media thickness (cIMT) is a widely accepted marker of subclinical atherosclerosis. Twenty susceptibility loci for cIMT were previously identified and the identification of additional susceptibility loci furthers our knowledge on the genetic architecture underlying atherosclerosis. Approach and Results: We performed 3 genome-wide association studies in 45 185 participants from the UK Biobank study who underwent cIMT measurements and had data on minimum, mean, and maximum thickness. We replicated 15 known loci and identified 20 novel loci associated with cIMT at P <5×10 −8 . Seven novel loci ( ZNF385D , AD AMTS9 , EDNRA , HAND2 , MYOCD , ITCH/EDEM2/ matrix metalloproteinase [ MMP ] 24 , and MRTFA ) were identified in all 3 phenotypes. An additional new locus ( LOXL1 ) was identified in the meta-analysis of the 3 phenotypes. Sex interaction analysis revealed sex differences in 7 loci including a novel locus ( SYNE3 ) in males. Meta-analysis of UK Biobank data with a previous meta-analysis led to identification of three novel loci ( APOB, FIP1L1, and LOXL4 ). Transcriptome-wide association analyses implicated additional genes ARHGAP42 , NDRG4 , and KANK2 . Gene set analysis showed an enrichment in extracellular organization and the PDGF (platelet-derived growth factor) signaling pathway. We found positive genetic correlations of cIMT with coronary artery disease r g =0.21 ( P =1.4×10 -7 ), peripheral artery disease r g =0.45 ( P =5.3×10 -5 ), and systolic blood pressure r g =0.30 ( P =4.0×10 -18 ). A negative genetic correlation between average of maximum cIMT and high-density lipoprotein was found r g =−0.12 ( P =7.0×10 -4 ). Conclusions: Genome-wide association meta-analyses in >100 000 individuals identified 25 novel loci associated with cIMT providing insights into genes and tissue-specific regulatory mechanisms of proatherosclerotic processes. We found evidence for shared biological mechanisms with cardiovascular diseases.

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rona J. Strawbridge ◽  
Joey Ward ◽  
Mark E.S. Bailey ◽  
Breda Cullen ◽  
Amy Ferguson ◽  
...  

AbstractObjectivesAtherosclerosis is the underlying cause of most cardiovascular disease, but mechanisms underlying atherosclerosis are incompletely understood. Ultra-sound measurement of the carotid artery intima-media thickness (cIMT) can be used to measure vascular remodelling, which is indicative of atherosclerosis. Genome-wide association studies have identified a number of genetic loci associated with cIMT, but heterogeneity of measurements collected by many small cohorts have been a major limitation in these efforts. Here we conducted genome-wide association analyses in UK Biobank (N=22,179), the largest single study with consistent cIMT measurements.Approach and resultsWe used BOLT-LMM to run linear regression of cIMT in UK Biobank, adjusted for age, sex, genotyping platform and population structure. In white British participants, we identified 4 novel loci associated with cIMT and replicated most previously reported loci. In the first sex-specific analyses of cIMT, we identified a female-specific locus on Chromosome 5, associated with cIMT in women only and highlight VCAN as a good candidate gene at this locus. Genetic correlations with body-mass index and glucometabolic traits were also observed.ConclusionThese findings replicate previously reported associations, highlight novel biology and provide new directions for investigating the sex differences observed in cardiovascular disease presentation and progression.


2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 166-174 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara L Pulit ◽  
Charli Stoneman ◽  
Andrew P Morris ◽  
Andrew R Wood ◽  
Craig A Glastonbury ◽  
...  

Abstract More than one in three adults worldwide is either overweight or obese. Epidemiological studies indicate that the location and distribution of excess fat, rather than general adiposity, are more informative for predicting risk of obesity sequelae, including cardiometabolic disease and cancer. We performed a genome-wide association study meta-analysis of body fat distribution, measured by waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) adjusted for body mass index (WHRadjBMI), and identified 463 signals in 346 loci. Heritability and variant effects were generally stronger in women than men, and we found approximately one-third of all signals to be sexually dimorphic. The 5% of individuals carrying the most WHRadjBMI-increasing alleles were 1.62 times more likely than the bottom 5% to have a WHR above the thresholds used for metabolic syndrome. These data, made publicly available, will inform the biology of body fat distribution and its relationship with disease.


Stroke ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 51 (8) ◽  
pp. 2454-2463
Author(s):  
Keith L. Keene ◽  
Hyacinth I. Hyacinth ◽  
Joshua C. Bis ◽  
Steven J. Kittner ◽  
Braxton D. Mitchell ◽  
...  

Background and Purpose: Stroke is a complex disease with multiple genetic and environmental risk factors. Blacks endure a nearly 2-fold greater risk of stroke and are 2× to 3× more likely to die from stroke than European Americans. Methods: The COMPASS (Consortium of Minority Population Genome-Wide Association Studies of Stroke) has conducted a genome-wide association meta-analysis of stroke in >22 000 individuals of African ancestry (3734 cases, 18 317 controls) from 13 cohorts. Results: In meta-analyses, we identified one single nucleotide polymorphism (rs55931441) near the HNF1A gene that reached genome-wide significance ( P =4.62×10 −8 ) and an additional 29 variants with suggestive evidence of association ( P <1×10 −6 ), representing 24 unique loci. For validation, a look-up analysis for a 100 kb region flanking the COMPASS single nucleotide polymorphism was performed in SiGN (Stroke Genetics Network) Europeans, SiGN Hispanics, and METASTROKE (Europeans). Using a stringent Bonferroni correction P value of 2.08×10 −3 (0.05/24 unique loci), we were able to validate associations at the HNF1A locus in both SiGN ( P =8.18×10 −4 ) and METASTROKE ( P =1.72×10 −3 ) European populations. Overall, 16 of 24 loci showed evidence for validation across multiple populations. Previous studies have reported associations between variants in the HNF1A gene and lipids, C-reactive protein, and risk of coronary artery disease and stroke. Suggestive associations with variants in the SFXN4 and TMEM108 genes represent potential novel ischemic stroke loci. Conclusions: These findings represent the most thorough investigation of genetic determinants of stroke in individuals of African descent, to date.


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