| 1. |
- Lagou, Vasiliki, et al.
(författare)
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Sex-dimorphic genetic effects and novel loci for fasting glucose and insulin variability
- 2021
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Ingår i: Nature Communications. - : Nature Publishing Group. - 2041-1723. ; 12:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Differences between sexes contribute to variation in the levels of fasting glucose and insulin. Epidemiological studies established a higher prevalence of impaired fasting glucose in men and impaired glucose tolerance in women, however, the genetic component underlying this phenomenon is not established. We assess sex-dimorphic (73,089/50,404 women and 67,506/47,806 men) and sex-combined (151,188/105,056 individuals) fasting glucose/fasting insulin genetic effects via genome-wide association study meta-analyses in individuals of European descent without diabetes. Here we report sex dimorphism in allelic effects on fasting insulin at IRS1 and ZNF12 loci, the latter showing higher RNA expression in whole blood in women compared to men. We also observe sex-homogeneous effects on fasting glucose at seven novel loci. Fasting insulin in women shows stronger genetic correlations than in men with waist-to-hip ratio and anorexia nervosa. Furthermore, waist-to-hip ratio is causally related to insulin resistance in women, but not in men. These results position dissection of metabolic and glycemic health sex dimorphism as a steppingstone for understanding differences in genetic effects between women and men in related phenotypes.
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| 2. |
- Sennblad, Bengt, et al.
(författare)
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Genome- wide association study with additional genetic and post-transcriptional analyses reveals novel regulators of plasma factor XI levels
- 2017
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Ingår i: Human Molecular Genetics. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0964-6906 .- 1460-2083. ; 26:3, s. 637-649
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Coagulation factor XI (FXI) has become increasingly interesting for its role in pathogenesis of thrombosis. While elevated plasma levels of FXI have been associated with venous thromboembolism and ischemic stroke, its deficiency is associated with mild bleeding. We aimed to determine novel genetic and post-transcriptional plasma FXI regulators. We performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) for plasma FXI levels, using novel data imputed to the 1000 Genomes reference panel. Individual GWAS analyses, including a total of 16,169 European individuals from the ARIC, GHS, MARTHA and PROCARDIS studies, were meta-analysed and further replicated in 2,045 individuals from the F5L family, GAIT2 and MEGA studies. Additional association with activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) was tested for the top SNPs. In addition, a study on the effect of miRNA on FXI regulation was performed using in silico prediction tools and in vitro luciferase assays. Three loci showed robust, replicating association with circulating FXI levels: KNG1 (rs710446, P-value = 2.07 x 10(-302)), F11 (rs4253417, P-value = 2.86 x 10(-193)), and a novel association in GCKR (rs780094, P-value = 3.56 x 10(-09)), here for the first time implicated in FXI regulation. The two first SNPs (rs710446 and rs4253417) also associated with aPTT. Conditional and haplotype analyses demonstrated a complex association signal, with additional novel SNPs modulating plasma FXI levels in both the F11 and KNG1 loci. Finally, eight miRNAs were predicted to bind F11 mRNA. Over-expression of either miR-145 or miR-181 significantly reduced the luciferase activity in cells transfected with a plasmid containing FXI-3'UTR. These results should open the door to new therapeutic targets for thrombosis prevention.
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| 3. |
- Karlöf, Eva, et al.
(författare)
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Correlation of computed tomography with carotid plaque transcriptomes associates calcification with lesion-stabilization
- 2019
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Ingår i: Atherosclerosis. - Stockholm : ELSEVIER IRELAND LTD. - 0021-9150 .- 1879-1484. ; 288, s. 175-185
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background and aims: Unstable carotid atherosclerosis causes stroke, but methods to identify patients and lesions at risk are lacking. We recently found enrichment of genes associated with calcification in carotid plaques from asymptomatic patients. Here, we hypothesized that calcification represents a stabilising feature of plaques and investigated how macro-calcification, as estimated by computed tomography (CT), correlates with gene expression profiles in lesions. Methods: Plaque calcification was measured in pre-operative CT angiographies. Plaques were sorted into high- and low-calcified, profiled with microarrays, followed by bioinformatic analyses. Immunohistochemistry and qPCR were performed to evaluate the findings in plaques and arteries with medial calcification from chronic kidney disease patients. Results: Smooth muscle cell (SMC) markers were upregulated in high-calcified plaques and calcified plaques from symptomatic patients, whereas macrophage markers were downregulated. The most enriched processes in high-calcified plaques were related to SMCs and extracellular matrix (ECM) organization, while inflammation, lipid transport and chemokine signaling were repressed. These findings were confirmed in arteries with high medial calcification. Proteoglycan 4 (PRG4) was identified as the most upregulated gene in association with plaque calcification and found in the ECM, SMA+ and CD68+/TRAP + cells. Conclusions: Macro-calcification in carotid lesions correlated with a transcriptional profile typical for stable plaques, with altered SMC phenotype and ECM composition and repressed inflammation. PRG4, previously not described in atherosclerosis, was enriched in the calcified ECM and localized to activated macrophages and smooth muscle-like cells. This study strengthens the notion that assessment of calcification may aid evaluation of plaque phenotype and stroke risk.
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| 4. |
- McLeod, Olga, et al.
(författare)
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Genetic loci on chromosome 5 are associated with circulating levels of interleukin-5 and eosinophil count in a European population with high risk for cardiovascular disease
- 2016
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Ingår i: Cytokine. - : Elsevier BV. - 1043-4666 .- 1096-0023. ; 81, s. 1-9
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- IL-5 is a Th2 cytokine which activates eosinophils and is suggested to have an atheroprotective role. Genetic variants in the IL5 locus have been associated with increased risk of CAD and ischemic stroke. In this study we aimed to identify genetic variants associated with IL-5 concentrations and apply a Mendelian randomisation approach to assess IL-5 levels for causal effect on intima-media thickness in a European population at high risk of coronary artery disease. We analysed SNPs within robustly associated candidate loci for immune, inflammatory, metabolic and cardiovascular traits. We identified 2 genetic loci for IL-5 levels (chromosome 5, rs56183820, BETA = 0.11, P = 6.73E(-5) and chromosome 14, rs4902762, BETA = 0.12, P= 5.76E(-6)) and one for eosinophil count (rs72797327, BETA = -0.10, P = 1.41E(-6)). Both chromosome 5 loci were in the vicinity of the IL5 gene, however the association with IL-5 levels failed to replicate in a meta-analysis of 2 independent cohorts (rs56183820, BETA = 0.04, P= 0.2763, I-2 = 24, I-2 - P = 0.2516). No significant associations were observed between SNPs associated with IL-5 levels or eosinophil count and IMT measures. Expression quantitative trait analyses indicate effects of the IL-5 and eosinophil-associated SNPs on RAD50 mRNA expression levels (rs12652920 (r2 = 0.93 with rs56183820) BETA = -0.10, P = 8.64E(-6) and rs11739623 (r2 = 0.96 with rs72797327) BETA = -0.23, P = 1.74E(-29), respectively). Our data do not support a role for IL-5 levels and eosinophil count in intima-media thickness, however SNP5 associated with IL-5 and eosinophils might influence stability of the atherosclerotic plaque via modulation of RAD50 levels.
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| 5. |
- Strawbridge, Rona J., et al.
(författare)
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Identification of a novel proinsulin-associated SNP and demonstration that proinsulin is unlikely to be a causal factor in subclinical vascular remodelling using Mendelian randomisation
- 2017
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Ingår i: Atherosclerosis. - : Elsevier BV. - 0021-9150 .- 1879-1484. ; 266, s. 196-204
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background and aims: Increased proinsulin relative to insulin levels have been associated with subclinical atherosclerosis (measured by carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT)) and are predictive of future cardiovascular disease (CVD), independently of established risk factors. The mechanisms linking proinsulin to atherosclerosis and CVD are unclear. A genome-wide meta-analysis has identified nine loci associated with circulating proinsulin levels. Using proinsulin-associated SNPs, we set out to use a Mendelian randomisation approach to test the hypothesis that proinsulin plays a causal role in subclinical vascular remodelling.Methods: We studied the high CVD-risk IMPROVE cohort (n = 3345), which has detailed biochemical phenotyping and repeated, state-of-the-art, high-resolution carotid ultrasound examinations. Genotyping was performed using Illumina Cardio-Metabo and Immuno arrays, which include reported proinsulin-associated loci. Participants with type 2 diabetes (n = 904) were omitted from the analysis. Linear regression was used to identify proinsulin-associated genetic variants.Results: We identified a proinsulin locus on chromosome 15 (rs8029765) and replicated it in data from 20,003 additional individuals. An 11-SNP score, including the previously identified and the chromosome 15 proinsulin-associated loci, was significantly and negatively associated with baseline IMTmean and IMTmax (the primary cIMT phenotypes) but not with progression measures. However, MR-Eggers refuted any significant effect of the proinsulin-associated 11-SNP score, and a non-pleiotropic SNP score of three variants (including rs8029765) demonstrated no effect on baseline or progression cIMT measures.Conclusions: We identified a novel proinsulin-associated locus and demonstrated that whilst proinsulin levels are associated with cIMT measures, proinsulin per se is unlikely to have a causative effect on cIMT.
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