| 1. |
- Turcot, Valerie, et al.
(author)
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Protein-altering variants associated with body mass index implicate pathways that control energy intake and expenditure in obesity
- 2018
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In: Nature Genetics. - : Nature Publishing Group. - 1061-4036 .- 1546-1718. ; 50:1, s. 26-41
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified >250 loci for body mass index (BMI), implicating pathways related to neuronal biology. Most GWAS loci represent clusters of common, noncoding variants from which pinpointing causal genes remains challenging. Here we combined data from 718,734 individuals to discover rare and low-frequency (minor allele frequency (MAF) < 5%) coding variants associated with BMI. We identified 14 coding variants in 13 genes, of which 8 variants were in genes (ZBTB7B, ACHE, RAPGEF3, RAB21, ZFHX3, ENTPD6, ZFR2 and ZNF169) newly implicated in human obesity, 2 variants were in genes (MC4R and KSR2) previously observed to be mutated in extreme obesity and 2 variants were in GIPR. The effect sizes of rare variants are similar to 10 times larger than those of common variants, with the largest effect observed in carriers of an MC4R mutation introducing a stop codon (p.Tyr35Ter, MAF = 0.01%), who weighed similar to 7 kg more than non-carriers. Pathway analyses based on the variants associated with BMI confirm enrichment of neuronal genes and provide new evidence for adipocyte and energy expenditure biology, widening the potential of genetically supported therapeutic targets in obesity.
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| 2. |
- Marouli, Eirini, et al.
(author)
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Rare and low-frequency coding variants alter human adult height
- 2017
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In: Nature. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 542:7640, s. 186-190
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Height is a highly heritable, classic polygenic trait with approximately 700 common associated variants identified through genome-wide association studies so far. Here, we report 83 height-associated coding variants with lower minor-allele frequencies (in the range of 0.1-4.8%) and effects of up to 2 centimetres per allele (such as those in IHH, STC2, AR and CRISPLD2), greater than ten times the average effect of common variants. In functional follow-up studies, rare height increasing alleles of STC2 (giving an increase of 1-2 centimetres per allele) compromised proteolytic inhibition of PAPP-A and increased cleavage of IGFBP-4 in vitro, resulting in higher bioavailability of insulin-like growth factors. These 83 height-associated variants overlap genes that are mutated in monogenic growth disorders and highlight new biological candidates (such as ADAMTS3, IL11RA and NOX4) and pathways (such as proteoglycan and glycosaminoglycan synthesis) involved in growth. Our results demonstrate that sufficiently large sample sizes can uncover rare and low-frequency variants of moderate-to-large effect associated with polygenic human phenotypes, and that these variants implicate relevant genes and pathways.
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| 3. |
- Middeldorp, Christel M., et al.
(author)
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The Early Growth Genetics (EGG) and EArly Genetics and Lifecourse Epidemiology (EAGLE) consortia : design, results and future prospects
- 2019
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In: European Journal of Epidemiology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0393-2990 .- 1573-7284. ; 34:3, s. 279-300
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The impact of many unfavorable childhood traits or diseases, such as low birth weight and mental disorders, is not limited to childhood and adolescence, as they are also associated with poor outcomes in adulthood, such as cardiovascular disease. Insight into the genetic etiology of childhood and adolescent traits and disorders may therefore provide new perspectives, not only on how to improve wellbeing during childhood, but also how to prevent later adverse outcomes. To achieve the sample sizes required for genetic research, the Early Growth Genetics (EGG) and EArly Genetics and Lifecourse Epidemiology (EAGLE) consortia were established. The majority of the participating cohorts are longitudinal population-based samples, but other cohorts with data on early childhood phenotypes are also involved. Cohorts often have a broad focus and collect(ed) data on various somatic and psychiatric traits as well as environmental factors. Genetic variants have been successfully identified for multiple traits, for example, birth weight, atopic dermatitis, childhood BMI, allergic sensitization, and pubertal growth. Furthermore, the results have shown that genetic factors also partly underlie the association with adult traits. As sample sizes are still increasing, it is expected that future analyses will identify additional variants. This, in combination with the development of innovative statistical methods, will provide detailed insight on the mechanisms underlying the transition from childhood to adult disorders. Both consortia welcome new collaborations. Policies and contact details are available from the corresponding authors of this manuscript and/or the consortium websites.
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| 4. |
- Flannick, Jason, et al.
(author)
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Assessing the phenotypic effects in the general population of rare variants in genes for a dominant Mendelian form of diabetes
- 2013
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In: Nature Genetics. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1546-1718 .- 1061-4036. ; 45:11, s. 1380-1380
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Genome sequencing can identify individuals in the general population who harbor rare coding variants in genes for Mendelian disorders1-7 and who may consequently have increased disease risk. Previous studies of rare variants in phenotypically extreme individuals display ascertainment bias and may demonstrate inflated effect-size estimates8-12. We sequenced seven genes for maturity-onset diabetes of the young (MODY) 13 in well-phenotyped population samples14,15 (n = 4,003). We filtered rare variants according to two prediction criteria for disease-causing mutations: reported previously in MODY or satisfying stringent de novo thresholds (rare, conserved and protein damaging). Approximately 1.5% and 0.5% of randomly selected individuals from the Framingham and Jackson Heart Studies, respectively, carry variants from these two classes. However, the vast majority of carriers remain euglycemic through middle age. Accurate estimates of variant effect sizes from population-based sequencing are needed to avoid falsely predicting a substantial fraction of individuals as being at risk for MODY or other Mendelian diseases.
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| 5. |
- Hertel, Jens K., et al.
(author)
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FTO, Type 2 Diabetes, and Weight Gain Throughout Adult Life A Meta-Analysis of 41,504 Subjects From the Scandinavian HUNT, MDC, and MPP Studies
- 2011
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In: Diabetes. - : American Diabetes Association. - 1939-327X .- 0012-1797. ; 60:5, s. 1637-1644
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- OBJECTIVE-FTO is the most important polygene identified for obesity. We aimed to investigate whether a variant in FTO affects type 2 diabetes risk entirely through its effect on BMI and how FTO) influences BMI across adult life span. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS-Through regression models, we assessed the relationship between the FTO single nucleotide polymorphisms rs9939609, type 2 diabetes, and BMI across life span in subjects from the Norwegian population-based HUNT study using cross-sectional and longitudinal perspectives. For replication and meta-analysis, we used data from the Malmo Diet and Cancer (MDC) and Malmo Preventive Project (MPP) cohorts, comprising a total sample of 41,504 Scandinavians. RESULTS-The meta-analysis revealed a highly significant association for rs9939609 with both type 2 diabetes (OR 1.13; P = 4.5 x 10(-8)) and the risk to develop incident type 2 diabetes (OR 1.16; P = 3.2 x 10(-8)). The associations remained also after correction for BMI and other anthropometric measures. Furthermore, we confirmed the strong effect on BMI (0.28 kg/m(2) per risk allele; P = 2.0 x 10(-26), with no heterogeneity between different age-groups. We found no differences in change of BMI over time according to rs9939609 risk alleles, neither overall (Delta BMI = 0.0 [-0.05, 0.05]) nor in any individual age stratum, indicating no further weight gain attributable to FTO genotype in adults. CONCLUSIONS-We have identified that a variant in FTO alters type 2 diabetes risk partly independent of its observed effect on BMI. The additional weight gain as a result of the FTO risk variant seems to occur before adulthood, and the BMI difference remains stable thereafter. Diabetes 60:1637-1644, 2011
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| 6. |
- Johansson, Bente B, et al.
(author)
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Diabetes and pancreatic exocrine dysfunction due to mutations in the carboxyl-ester lipase gene (CEL-MODY) : a protein misfolding disease
- 2011
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In: Journal of Biological Chemistry. - Bethesda, Md. : American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. - 0021-9258 .- 1083-351X. ; 286:40, s. 34593-34605
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- CEL-MODY, diabetes with pancreatic lipomatosis and exocrine dysfunction, is due to dominant frame-shift mutations in the acinar cell carboxyl-ester lipase gene (CEL). As Cel knock-out mice do not express the phenotype and the mutant protein has an altered, intrinsically disordered tandem repeat domain, we hypothesized that the disease mechanism might involve a negative effect of the mutant protein. In silico analysis showed that the pI of the tandem repeat was markedly increased from pH 3.3 in wild-type (WT) to 11.8 in mutant (MUT) human CEL. By stably over-expressing CEL-WT and CEL-MUT in HEK293 cells, we found similar glycosylation, ubiquitination, constitutive secretion and quality control of the two proteins. The CEL-MUT protein demonstrated, however, a high propensity to form aggregates found intracellularly and extracellularly. Different physico-chemical properties of the intrinsically disordered tandem repeat domains of WT and MUT proteins may contribute to different short-range and long-range interactions with the globular core domain and other macromolecules, including cell membranes. Thus, we propose that CEL-MODY is a protein misfolding disease caused by a negative gain-of-function effect of the mutant proteins in pancreatic tissues.
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| 7. |
- Vasicek, Jakub, et al.
(author)
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Finding haplotypic signatures in proteins
- 2023
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In: GigaScience. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 2047-217X. ; 12
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: The nonrandom distribution of alleles of common genomic variants produces haplotypes, which are fundamental in medical and population genetic studies. Consequently, protein-coding genes with different co-occurring sets of alleles can encode different amino acid sequences: protein haplotypes. These protein haplotypes are present in biological samples and detectable by mass spectrometry, but they are not accounted for in proteomic searches. Consequently, the impact of haplotypic variation on the results of proteomic searches and the discoverability of peptides specific to haplotypes remain unknown. Findings: Here, we study how common genetic haplotypes influence the proteomic search space and investigate the possibility to match peptides containing multiple amino acid substitutions to a publicly available data set of mass spectra. We found that for 12.42% of the discoverable amino acid substitutions encoded by common haplotypes, 2 or more substitutions may co-occur in the same peptide after tryptic digestion of the protein haplotypes. We identified 352 spectra that matched to such multivariant peptides, and out of the 4,582 amino acid substitutions identified, 6.37% were covered by multivariant peptides. However, the evaluation of the reliability of these matches remains challenging, suggesting that refined error rate estimation procedures are needed for such complex proteomic searches. Conclusions: As these procedures become available and the ability to analyze protein haplotypes increases, we anticipate that proteomics will provide new information on the consequences of common variation, across tissues and time.
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