Exome-wide Association Study on Alanine Aminotransferase Identifies Sequence Variants in the GPAM and APOE Associated with Fatty Liver Disease.

• Fatty liver disease (FLD) is a growing epidemic that is expected to be the leading cause of end-stage liver disease within the next decade. Both environmental and genetic factors contribute to the susceptibility of FLD. Several genetic variants contributing to FLD have been identified in exome-wide association studies. However, there is still a missing hereditability indicating that other genetic variants are yet to be discovered.To find genes involved in FLD, we first examined the association of missense and nonsense variants with alanine aminotransferase (ALT) at an exome-wide level in 425,671 participants from the UK Biobank. We then validated genetic variants with liver fat content in 8,930 participants in whom liver fat measurement was available, and replicated two genetic variants in three independent cohorts comprising 2,621 individuals with available liver biopsy.We identified 190 genetic variants independently associated with ALT after correcting for multiple testing with Bonferroni method. The majority of these variants were not previously associated with this trait. Among those associated, there was a striking enrichment of genetic variants influencing lipid metabolism. We identified the variants rs2792751 in GPAM/GPAT1, the gene encoding glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase, mitochondrial, and rs429358 in APOE, the gene encoding apolipoprotein E, as robustly associated with liver fat content and liver disease after adjusting for multiple testing. Both genes affect lipid metabolism in the liver.We identified two novel genetic variants in GPAM and APOE that are robustly associated with steatosis and liver damage. These findings may help to better elucidate the genetic susceptibility to FLD onset and progression.

Subject headings

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Klinisk medicin -- Kardiologi (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Clinical Medicine -- Cardiac and Cardiovascular Systems (hsv//eng)

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Klinisk medicin -- Gastroenterologi (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Clinical Medicine -- Gastroenterology and Hepatology (hsv//eng)

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art (subject category)