| 1. |
|
|
| 2. |
- Höijer, Ida, et al.
(författare)
-
CRISPR-Cas9 induces large structural variants at on-target and off-target sites in vivo that segregate across generations
- 2022
-
Ingår i: Nature Communications. - : Springer Nature. - 2041-1723. ; 13
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing has potential to cure diseases without current treatments, but therapies must be safe. Here we show that CRISPR-Cas9 editing can introduce unintended mutations in vivo, which are passed on to the next generation. By editing fertilized zebrafish eggs using four guide RNAs selected for off-target activity in vitro, followed by long-read sequencing of DNA from >1100 larvae, juvenile and adult fish across two generations, we find that structural variants (SVs), i.e., insertions and deletions >= 50 bp, represent 6% of editing outcomes in founder larvae. These SVs occur both at on-target and off-target sites. Our results also illustrate that adult founder zebrafish are mosaic in their germ cells, and that 26% of their offspring carries an off-target mutation and 9% an SV. Hence, pre-testing for off-target activity and SVs using patient material is advisable in clinical applications, to reduce the risk of unanticipated effects with potentially large implications.
|
|
| 3. |
- van de Vegte, Yordi, et al.
(författare)
-
Genetic insights into resting heart rate and its role in cardiovascular disease
- 2023
-
Ingår i: Nature Communications. - : Springer Nature. - 2041-1723. ; 14:1
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The genetics and clinical consequences of resting heart rate (RHR) remain incompletely understood. Here, the authors discover new genetic variants associated with RHR and find that higher genetically predicted RHR decreases risk of atrial fibrillation and ischemic stroke. Resting heart rate is associated with cardiovascular diseases and mortality in observational and Mendelian randomization studies. The aims of this study are to extend the number of resting heart rate associated genetic variants and to obtain further insights in resting heart rate biology and its clinical consequences. A genome-wide meta-analysis of 100 studies in up to 835,465 individuals reveals 493 independent genetic variants in 352 loci, including 68 genetic variants outside previously identified resting heart rate associated loci. We prioritize 670 genes and in silico annotations point to their enrichment in cardiomyocytes and provide insights in their ECG signature. Two-sample Mendelian randomization analyses indicate that higher genetically predicted resting heart rate increases risk of dilated cardiomyopathy, but decreases risk of developing atrial fibrillation, ischemic stroke, and cardio-embolic stroke. We do not find evidence for a linear or non-linear genetic association between resting heart rate and all-cause mortality in contrast to our previous Mendelian randomization study. Systematic alteration of key differences between the current and previous Mendelian randomization study indicates that the most likely cause of the discrepancy between these studies arises from false positive findings in previous one-sample MR analyses caused by weak-instrument bias at lower P-value thresholds. The results extend our understanding of resting heart rate biology and give additional insights in its role in cardiovascular disease development.
|
|
| 4. |
- Bandaru, Manoj Kumar, 1987-, et al.
(författare)
-
Apoc2 mutant zebrafish: a model for hypertriglyceridemia and early-stage atherosclerosis
-
Annan publikation (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Zebrafish larvae in a hypertriglyceridemic background can be useful to identify and characterize causal genes for triglyceride metabolism. A previous, small-scale study suggested that apolipoprotein C-II (apoc2)-mutant zebrafish larvae can be used to model hypertriglyceridemia-induced atherosclerosis. We aimed to replicate these findings in a large-scale study and asses if APOC-II may represent a useful therapeutic target. We generated apoc2 mutant zebrafish using CRISPR-Cas9 and examined cardiometabolomic traits in their offspring (F1 generation). Systematic characterization of 384 larvae using our image and assay-based, high-throughput pipeline showed that compound heterozygous larvae for loss of function mutations in apoc2 (n=35) have higher whole-body levels of triglycerides (0.71±0.16 SD), HDL cholesterol (0.32±0.15 SD) and total cholesterol (0.37±0.18 SD), and a trend for lower whole-body glucose levels (0.23±0.14 SD) compared with larvae without mutations in apoc2 (n=174). Such larvae also tended to have more vascular lipid deposition, however this effect did not reach significance (P=0.12). Interestingly, the trends for lower whole-body glucose levels and more vascular lipid deposition in larvae with anticipated loss of functional apoc2 reached significance when larvae (n=3812) from other screens, in which apoc2 was not experimentally perturbed were included as additional wildtype controls. Thus, our large-scale study confirms the role of apoc2 in hypertriglyceridemia and early-stage atherosclerosis. While apoc2 mutant zebrafish model can be used as a genetic background to identify and characterize causal genes for triglyceride metabolism, independent and opposite effects on triglycerides and glucose suggest that APOC-II is likely not a suitable target for prevention and treatment of coronary artery disease.
|
|
| 5. |
- Bandaru, Manoj Kumar, 1987-, et al.
(författare)
-
Image-based, in vivo characterization of cardiometabolic consequences of mutations in pcsk9
-
Annan publikation (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Based on the association of loss-of-function mutations in proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) with low plasma LDL cholesterol levels, inhibition of the PCSK9 protein using monoclonal antibodies have emerged as an effective treatment option to lower LDL cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of coronary artery disease. Despite these beneficial effects, PCSK9 inhibitors may increase the risk of diabetes. In this study, we mimicked the mechanistic action of PCSK9 inhibitors in humans by inducing mutations in pcsk9 in zebrafish and examining their effects on dyslipidemia, early-stage atherosclerosis and diabetes-related traits in data from nearly 5000 zebrafish larvae. At 10 days of age, larvae with mutations in pcsk9 were characterized by lower whole-body LDL cholesterol levels (beta±SE -0.056±0.025 SD units) and protection against early-stage atherosclerosis, with less vascular lipid deposition (-0.133±0.035 SD) and less co-localization of macrophages with lipids (-0.086±0.032 SD). Mutant larvae also had fewer pancreatic β-cells (-0.153±0.055 SD). Thus, our findings in pcsk9 mutant larvae are in line with results from people carrying loss-of-function PCSK9 mutations, and are also in line with the effects of PCSK9 inhibitors in humans. Further, our results suggest that mutations in pcsk9 may increase the risk of diabetes through a direct effect on pancreatic β-cells.
|
|
| 6. |
- Bandaru, Manoj Kumar, et al.
(författare)
-
Zebrafish larvae as a model system for systematic characterization of drugs and genes in dyslipidemia and atherosclerosis
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Hundreds of loci have been robustly associated with circulating lipids, atherosclerosis and coronary artery disease; but for most loci the causal genes and mechanisms remain uncharacterized.Methods: We developed a semi-automated experimental pipeline for systematic, quantitative, large-scale characterization of mechanisms, drugs and genes associated with dyslipidemia and atherosclerosis in a zebrafish model system. We validated our pipeline using a dietary (n>2000), drug treatment (n>1000), and genetic intervention (n=384).Results: Our results show that five days of overfeeding and cholesterol supplementation had independent pro-atherogenic effects, which could be diminished by concomitant treatment with atorvastatin and ezetimibe. CRISPR-Cas9-induced mutations in orthologues of proof-of-concept genes resulted in higher LDL cholesterol levels (apoea), and more early stage atherosclerosis (apobb.1).Conclusions: In summary, our pipeline facilitates systematic, in vivo characterization of drugs and candidate genes to increase our understanding of disease etiology, and can likely help identify novel targets for therapeutic intervention.
|
|
| 7. |
- Bandaru, Manoj Kumar, 1987-
(författare)
-
Zebrafish models for large-scale genetic screens in dyslipidemia and atherosclerosis : Validation and application
- 2019
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Hundreds of loci have been robustly associated with circulating lipids, atherosclerosis and coronary artery disease; but for most loci the causal genes and mechanisms remain uncharacterized. The overall aim of my thesis is to develop and validate novel in vivo model systems that are suitable for high-throughput, image-based genetic screens in coronary artery disease and related traits, and use these model systems to systematically characterize positional candidate genes.In Study I, I developed an experimental pipeline to validate the suitability of zebrafish larvae as a model system for systematic, large-scale characterization of drugs and genes associated with dyslipidemia and atherosclerosis. Using this pipeline, I showed that five days of overfeeding and cholesterol supplementation have independent pro-atherogenic effects in zebrafish larvae, which could be diminished by concomitant treatment with atorvastatin and ezetimibe. CRISPR-Cas9-induced mutations in orthologues of proof-of-concept genes resulted in higher LDL cholesterol levels (apoea), and more early stage atherosclerosis (apobb.1). Finally, the pipeline helped me to identify putative causal genes for circulating lipids and early-stage atherosclerosis (LPAR2 and GATAD2A).In Study II, I characterized cardiometabolic traits in apoc2 mutant zebrafish larvae and found that, similar to humans, larvae with two non-functional apoc2 alleles have higher whole-body levels of triglycerides and total cholesterol, and more vascular lipid deposition than larvae without mutations in apoc2. Interestingly, apoc2 mutant larvae also had lower glucose levels after adjusting for triglyceride levels, suggesting that therapeutic stimulation of apoc2 to prevent hypertriglyceridemia may result in hyperglycemia. Still, zebrafish larvae with mutations in apoc2 can be a useful model to identify and characterize additional causal genes for triglyceride metabolism.In Study III, I examined the effects of mutations in pcsk9 on atherosclerosis and diabetes-related traits in nearly 5,000 zebrafish larvae. Similar to the loss-of-function mutations in PCSK9 in humans, larvae with mutations in pcsk9 had lower LDLc levels and were protected from early-stage atherosclerosis. Interestingly, mutations in pcsk9 also resulted in fewer pancreatic β-cells in 10 days old larvae, which suggests the higher risk of diabetes in humans with mutations in PCSK9 may result from a direct effect on the beta cell.Based on these large-scale proof-of-concept studies, my thesis confirms that zebrafish larvae can be used for large-scale, systematic genetic screens in dyslipidemia and early-stage atherosclerosis.
|
|
| 8. |
- Chauhan, Ganesh, et al.
(författare)
-
Identification of additional risk loci for stroke and small vessel disease: a meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies
- 2016
-
Ingår i: The Lancet Neurology. - 1474-4465 .- 1474-4422. ; 15:7, s. 695-707
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background Genetic determinants of stroke, the leading neurological cause of death and disability, are poorly understood and have seldom been explored in the general population. Our aim was to identify additional loci for stroke by doing a meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies. Methods For the discovery sample, we did a genome-wide analysis of common genetic variants associated with incident stroke risk in 18 population-based cohorts comprising 84 961 participants, of whom 4348 had stroke. Stroke diagnosis was ascertained and validated by the study investigators. Mean age at stroke ranged from 45·8 years to 76·4 years, and data collection in the studies took place between 1948 and 2013. We did validation analyses for variants yielding a significant association (at p<5 × 10−6) with all-stroke, ischaemic stroke, cardioembolic ischaemic stroke, or non-cardioembolic ischaemic stroke in the largest available cross-sectional studies (70 804 participants, of whom 19 816 had stroke). Summary-level results of discovery and follow-up stages were combined using inverse-variance weighted fixed-effects meta-analysis, and in-silico lookups were done in stroke subtypes. For genome-wide significant findings (at p<5 × 10−8), we explored associations with additional cerebrovascular phenotypes and did functional experiments using conditional (inducible) deletion of the probable causal gene in mice. We also studied the expression of orthologs of this probable causal gene and its effects on cerebral vasculature in zebrafish mutants. Findings We replicated seven of eight known loci associated with risk for ischaemic stroke, and identified a novel locus at chromosome 6p25 (rs12204590, near FOXF2) associated with risk of all-stroke (odds ratio [OR] 1·08, 95% CI 1·05–1·12, p=1·48 × 10−8; minor allele frequency 21%). The rs12204590 stroke risk allele was also associated with increased MRI-defined burden of white matter hyperintensity—a marker of cerebral small vessel disease—in stroke-free adults (n=21 079; p=0·0025). Consistently, young patients (aged 2–32 years) with segmental deletions of FOXF2 showed an extensive burden of white matter hyperintensity. Deletion of Foxf2 in adult mice resulted in cerebral infarction, reactive gliosis, and microhaemorrhage. The orthologs of FOXF2 in zebrafish (foxf2b and foxf2a) are expressed in brain pericytes and mutant foxf2b−/− cerebral vessels show decreased smooth muscle cell and pericyte coverage. Interpretation We identified common variants near FOXF2 that are associated with increased stroke susceptibility. Epidemiological and experimental data suggest that FOXF2 mediates this association, potentially via differentiation defects of cerebral vascular mural cells. Further expression studies in appropriate human tissues, and further functional experiments with long follow-up periods are needed to fully understand the underlying mechanisms. Funding NIH, NINDS, NHMRC, CIHR, European national research institutions, Fondation Leducq. © 2016 Elsevier Ltd
|
|
| 9. |
- Deleskog, Anna, et al.
(författare)
-
Maternal diabetes and incidence of childhood cancer : a nationwide cohort study and exploratory genetic analysis
- 2017
-
Ingår i: Clinical Epidemiology. - 1179-1349 .- 1179-1349. ; 9, s. 633-642
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: The etiology of childhood cancer is not well understood, but may be linked to prenatal and perinatal factors, such as maternal diabetes. However, this association has not been examined in depth. We aimed to determine if maternal diabetes is associated with risk of childhood brain tumor (CBT), leukemia (all types combined and acute lymphoblastic leukemia [ALL] separately), and lymphoma.Methods: All children born in Sweden between 1973 and 2014 (n= 4,239,965) were followed from birth until first cancer diagnosis, age 15 years, or December 31, 2015. Data on maternal diabetes, childhood cancer, and covariates were obtained from nationwide health registers. Incidence rate ratios (IRRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using Cox regression adjusted for potential confounders/mediators. Additionally, we performed an exploratory analysis using results from published genome-wide association studies and functional annotation.Results: Maternal diabetes was associated with lower risk of CBT (adjusted IRR [95% CI]: 0.56 [0.35-0.91]) and higher risk of leukemia (adjusted IRR: 1.47 [1.13-1.92] for all leukemia combined and 1.64 [1.23-2.18] for ALL). These associations were similar for both maternal type 1 diabetes and gestational diabetes. Associations of five previously identified genetic loci were compatible with a causal effect of diabetes traits on neuroblastoma and common Hodgkin's lymphoma.Conclusion: Children whose mother had diabetes had lower risk of CBT and higher risk of leukemia, compared with children whose mother did not have diabetes. Our results are compatible with a role of prenatal and perinatal glycemic environment in childhood cancer etiology.
|
|
| 10. |
- den Hoed, Marcel, 1980-, et al.
(författare)
-
Genetic susceptibility to obesity and related traits in childhood and adolescence influence of loci identified by genome-wide association studies
- 2010
-
Ingår i: Diabetes. - Alexandria, USA : American Diabetes Association. - 0012-1797 .- 1939-327X. ; 59:11, s. 2980-2988
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective: Large-scale genome-wide association (GWA) studies have thus far identified 16 loci incontrovertibly associated with obesity-related traits in adults. We examined associations of variants in these loci with anthropometric traits in children and adolescents.Research design and methods: Seventeen variants representing 16 obesity susceptibility loci were genotyped in 1,252 children (mean +/- SD age 9.7 +/- 0.4 years) and 790 adolescents (15.5 +/- 0.5 years) from the European Youth Heart Study (EYHS). We tested for association of individual variants and a genetic predisposition score (GPS-17), calculated by summing the number of effect alleles, with anthropometric traits. For 13 variants, summary statistics for associations with BMI were meta-analyzed with previously reported data (N-total = 13,071 children and adolescents). Results: In EYHS, 15 variants showed associations or trends with anthropometric traits that were directionally consistent with earlier reports in adults. The meta-analysis showed directionally consistent associations with BMI for all 13 variants, of which 9 were significant (0.033-0.098 SD/allele; P < 0.05). The near-TMEM18 variant had the strongest effect (0.098 SD/allele P = 8.5 x 10(-11)). Effect sizes for BMI tended to be more pronounced in children and adolescents than reported earlier in adults for variants in or near SEC16B, TMEM18, and KCTD15, (0.028-0.035 SD/allele higher) and less pronounced for rs925946 in BDNF (0.028 SD/allele lower). Each additional effect allele in the GPS-17 was associated with an increase of 0.034 SD in BMI (P = 3.6 x 10(-5)), 0.039 SD, in sum of skinfolds (P = 1.7 x 10(-7)), and 0.022 SD in waist circumference (P = 1.7 X 10(-4)), which is comparable with reported results in adults (0.039 SD/allele for BMI and 0.033 SD/allele for waist circumference).Conclusions: Most obesity susceptibility loci identified by GWA studies in adults are already associated with anthropometric traits in children/adolescents. Whereas the association of some variants may differ with age, the cumulative effect size is similar. Diabetes 59:2980-2988, 2010
|
|
