| 1. |
- Kanoni, Stavroula, et al.
(author)
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Implicating genes, pleiotropy, and sexual dimorphism at blood lipid loci through multi-ancestry meta-analysis.
- 2022
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In: Genome biology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1474-760X .- 1465-6906 .- 1474-7596. ; 23:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Genetic variants within nearly 1000 loci are known to contribute to modulation of blood lipid levels. However, the biological pathways underlying these associations are frequently unknown, limiting understanding of these findings and hindering downstream translational efforts such as drug target discovery.To expand our understanding of the underlying biological pathways and mechanisms controlling blood lipid levels, we leverage a large multi-ancestry meta-analysis (N=1,654,960) of blood lipids to prioritize putative causal genes for 2286 lipid associations using six gene prediction approaches. Using phenome-wide association (PheWAS) scans, we identify relationships of genetically predicted lipid levels to other diseases and conditions. We confirm known pleiotropic associations with cardiovascular phenotypes and determine novel associations, notably with cholelithiasis risk. We perform sex-stratified GWAS meta-analysis of lipid levels and show that 3-5% of autosomal lipid-associated loci demonstrate sex-biased effects. Finally, we report 21 novel lipid loci identified on the X chromosome. Many of the sex-biased autosomal and X chromosome lipid loci show pleiotropic associations with sex hormones, emphasizing the role of hormone regulation in lipid metabolism.Taken together, our findings provide insights into the biological mechanisms through which associated variants lead to altered lipid levels and potentially cardiovascular disease risk.
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| 2. |
- van de Vegte, Yordi, et al.
(author)
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Genetic insights into resting heart rate and its role in cardiovascular disease
- 2023
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In: Nature Communications. - : Springer Nature. - 2041-1723. ; 14:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)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.
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| 3. |
- Wuttke, Matthias, et al.
(author)
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A catalog of genetic loci associated with kidney function from analyses of a million individuals
- 2019
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In: Nature Genetics. - : NATURE PUBLISHING GROUP. - 1061-4036 .- 1546-1718. ; 51:6, s. 957-972
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is responsible for a public health burden with multi-systemic complications. Through transancestry meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and independent replication (n = 1,046,070), we identified 264 associated loci (166 new). Of these,147 were likely to be relevant for kidney function on the basis of associations with the alternative kidney function marker blood urea nitrogen (n = 416,178). Pathway and enrichment analyses, including mouse models with renal phenotypes, support the kidney as the main target organ. A genetic risk score for lower eGFR was associated with clinically diagnosed CKD in 452,264 independent individuals. Colocalization analyses of associations with eGFR among 783,978 European-ancestry individuals and gene expression across 46 human tissues, including tubulo-interstitial and glomerular kidney compartments, identified 17 genes differentially expressed in kidney. Fine-mapping highlighted missense driver variants in 11 genes and kidney-specific regulatory variants. These results provide a comprehensive priority list of molecular targets for translational research.
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| 4. |
- de las Fuentes, Lisa, et al.
(author)
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Gene-educational attainment interactions in a multi-ancestry genome-wide meta-analysis identify novel blood pressure loci
- 2021
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In: Molecular Psychiatry. - : Springer Nature. - 1359-4184 .- 1476-5578. ; 26:6, s. 2111-2125
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Educational attainment is widely used as a surrogate for socioeconomic status (SES). Low SES is a risk factor for hypertension and high blood pressure (BP). To identify novel BP loci, we performed multi-ancestry meta-analyses accounting for gene-educational attainment interactions using two variables, “Some College” (yes/no) and “Graduated College” (yes/no). Interactions were evaluated using both a 1 degree of freedom (DF) interaction term and a 2DF joint test of genetic and interaction effects. Analyses were performed for systolic BP, diastolic BP, mean arterial pressure, and pulse pressure. We pursued genome-wide interrogation in Stage 1 studies (N = 117 438) and follow-up on promising variants in Stage 2 studies (N = 293 787) in five ancestry groups. Through combined meta-analyses of Stages 1 and 2, we identified 84 known and 18 novel BP loci at genome-wide significance level (P < 5 × 10-8). Two novel loci were identified based on the 1DF test of interaction with educational attainment, while the remaining 16 loci were identified through the 2DF joint test of genetic and interaction effects. Ten novel loci were identified in individuals of African ancestry. Several novel loci show strong biological plausibility since they involve physiologic systems implicated in BP regulation. They include genes involved in the central nervous system-adrenal signaling axis (ZDHHC17, CADPS, PIK3C2G), vascular structure and function (GNB3, CDON), and renal function (HAS2 and HAS2-AS1, SLIT3). Collectively, these findings suggest a role of educational attainment or SES in further dissection of the genetic architecture of BP.
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| 5. |
- Okada, Yukinori, et al.
(author)
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Genetics of rheumatoid arthritis contributes to biology and drug discovery
- 2014
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In: Nature. - : Nature Publishing Group. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 506:7488, s. 376-381
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A major challenge in human genetics is to devise a systematic strategy to integrate disease-associated variants with diverse genomic and biological data sets to provide insight into disease pathogenesis and guide drug discovery for complex traits such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA)(1). Here we performed a genome-wide association study meta-analysis in a total of >100,000 subjects of European and Asian ancestries (29,880 RA cases and 73,758 controls), by evaluating similar to 10 million single-nucleotide polymorphisms. We discovered 42 novel RA risk loci at a genome-wide level of significance, bringing the total to 101 (refs 2-4). We devised an in silico pipeline using established bioinformatics methods based on functional annotation(5), cis-acting expression quantitative trait loci(6) and pathway analyses(7-9)-as well as novel methods based on genetic overlap with human primary immunodeficiency, haematological cancer somatic mutations and knockout mouse phenotypes-to identify 98 biological candidate genes at these 101 risk loci. We demonstrate that these genes are the targets of approved therapies for RA, and further suggest that drugs approved for other indications may be repurposed for the treatment of RA. Together, this comprehensive genetic study sheds light on fundamental genes, pathways and cell types that contribute to RA pathogenesis, and provides empirical evidence that the genetics of RA can provide important information for drug discovery.
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| 6. |
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| 7. |
- Chemin, Karine, et al.
(author)
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A Novel HLA-DRB1*10:01-Restricted T Cell Epitope From Citrullinated Type II Collagen Relevant to Rheumatoid Arthritis
- 2016
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In: Arthritis & Rheumatology. - : Wiley. - 2326-5191 .- 2326-5205. ; 68:5, s. 1124-1135
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Objective. Antibodies against citrullinated type II collagen (Cit-CII) are common in the sera and synovial fluid of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA); however, the known T cell epitope of CII is not dependent on citrullination. The aim of this study was to identify and functionally characterize the Cit-CII-restricted T cell epitopes that are relevant to RA. Methods. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from HLA-DRB1*10:01-positive patients with RA and healthy donors were stimulated in vitro with candidate CII peptides. CD154 up-regulation was measured as a marker of antigen-specific activation, and anti-HLA-DR-blocking experiments confirmed HLA restriction. Cytokine production was measured using a Luminex technique. Direct peptide-binding assays using HLA-DRB1*10:01 and HLA-DRB1*04:01 monomeric proteins were performed. The T cell receptor (TCR) beta-chain of CD154-enriched antigen-specific T cells was analyzed using high-throughput sequencing. Results. A novel Cit-CII peptide was identified based on its ability to activate CD4+ T cells from HLA-DRB1*10:01-positive individuals. When stimulated in vitro, Cit-CII autoreactive T cells produced proinflammatory cytokines. Cit-CII311-325 bound (with low affinity) to HLA-DRB1*10:01 but not to HLA-DRB1*04:01, while the native form was unable to bind either protein. In addition, highly expanded clones were identified in the TCR beta repertoire of Cit-CII311-325-stimulated PBMCs. Conclusion. These results illustrate the ability of the citrullination process to create T cell epitopes from CII, a cartilage-restricted protein that is relevant to RA pathogenesis. The exclusive binding of Cit-CII311-325 to HLA-DRB1*10:01 suggests that recognition of citrullinated epitopes might vary between individuals carrying different RA-associated HLA-DR molecules.
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| 8. |
- Ishigaki, Kazuyoshi, et al.
(author)
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Multi-ancestry genome-wide association analyses identify novel genetic mechanisms in rheumatoid arthritis
- 2022
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In: Nature Genetics. - : Springer Nature. - 1061-4036 .- 1546-1718. ; 54:11, s. 1640-1651
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a highly heritable complex disease with unknown etiology. Multi-ancestry genetic research of RA promises to improve power to detect genetic signals, fine-mapping resolution and performances of polygenic risk scores (PRS). Here, we present a large-scale genome-wide association study (GWAS) of RA, which includes 276,020 samples from five ancestral groups. We conducted a multi-ancestry meta-analysis and identified 124 loci (P < 5 × 10−8), of which 34 are novel. Candidate genes at the novel loci suggest essential roles of the immune system (for example, TNIP2 and TNFRSF11A) and joint tissues (for example, WISP1) in RA etiology. Multi-ancestry fine-mapping identified putatively causal variants with biological insights (for example, LEF1). Moreover, PRS based on multi-ancestry GWAS outperformed PRS based on single-ancestry GWAS and had comparable performance between populations of European and East Asian ancestries. Our study provides several insights into the etiology of RA and improves the genetic predictability of RA.
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