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Srivastava AK, Monangi N, Ravichandran V, Solé-Navais P, Jacobsson B, Muglia LJ, Zhang G. Recent Advances in Genomic Studies of Gestational Duration and Preterm Birth. Clin Perinatol 2024; 51:313-329. [PMID: 38705643 PMCID: PMC11189662 DOI: 10.1016/j.clp.2024.02.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/07/2024]
Abstract
Preterm birth (PTB) is the leading cause of infant mortality and morbidity. For several decades, extensive epidemiologic and genetic studies have highlighted the significant contribution of maternal and offspring genetic factors to PTB. This review discusses the challenges inherent in conventional genomic analyses of PTB and underscores the importance of adopting nonconventional approaches, such as analyzing the mother-child pair as a single analytical unit, to disentangle the intertwined maternal and fetal genetic influences. We elaborate on studies investigating PTB phenotypes through 3 levels of genetic analyses: single-variant, multi-variant, and genome-wide variants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amit K Srivastava
- Division of Human Genetics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, 3333 Burnet Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA
| | - Nagendra Monangi
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Center for Prevention of Preterm Birth, Perinatal Institute, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and March of Dimes Prematurity Research Center Ohio Collaborative; Division of Neonatology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, 3333 Burnet Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA
| | - Vidhya Ravichandran
- Division of Human Genetics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, 3333 Burnet Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA; Division of Neonatology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, 3333 Burnet Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA
| | - Pol Solé-Navais
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Sahlgrenska Academy, Institute of Clinical Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Box 100, Gothenburg 405 30, Sweden
| | - Bo Jacobsson
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Sahlgrenska Academy, Institute of Clinical Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Box 100, Gothenburg 405 30, Sweden; Department of Genetics and Bioinformatics, Health Data and Digitalization, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Lovisenberggata 8, Oslo 0456, Norway
| | - Louis J Muglia
- Division of Human Genetics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, 3333 Burnet Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA; Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Center for Prevention of Preterm Birth, Perinatal Institute, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and March of Dimes Prematurity Research Center Ohio Collaborative; The Burroughs Wellcome Fund, 21 Tw Alexander Drive, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA
| | - Ge Zhang
- Division of Human Genetics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, 3333 Burnet Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA; Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Center for Prevention of Preterm Birth, Perinatal Institute, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and March of Dimes Prematurity Research Center Ohio Collaborative.
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Smith DM, Loughnan R, Friedman NP, Parekh P, Frei O, Thompson WK, Andreassen OA, Neale M, Jernigan TL, Dale AM. Heritability Estimation of Cognitive Phenotypes in the ABCD Study ® Using Mixed Models. Behav Genet 2023; 53:169-188. [PMID: 37024669 PMCID: PMC10154273 DOI: 10.1007/s10519-023-10141-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2022] [Accepted: 03/15/2023] [Indexed: 04/08/2023]
Abstract
Twin and family studies have historically aimed to partition phenotypic variance into components corresponding to additive genetic effects (A), common environment (C), and unique environment (E). Here we present the ACE Model and several extensions in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development℠ Study (ABCD Study®), employed using the new Fast Efficient Mixed Effects Analysis (FEMA) package. In the twin sub-sample (n = 924; 462 twin pairs), heritability estimates were similar to those reported by prior studies for height (twin heritability = 0.86) and cognition (twin heritability between 0.00 and 0.61), respectively. Incorporating SNP-derived genetic relatedness and using the full ABCD Study® sample (n = 9,742) led to narrower confidence intervals for all parameter estimates. By leveraging the sparse clustering method used by FEMA to handle genetic relatedness only for participants within families, we were able to take advantage of the diverse distribution of genetic relatedness within the ABCD Study® sample.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana M Smith
- Neurosciences Graduate Program, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
- Center for Human Development, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
- Center for Multimodal Imaging and Genetics, San Diego School of Medicine, University of California, La Jolla, CA, USA.
| | - Robert Loughnan
- Population Neuroscience and Genetics Lab, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Naomi P Friedman
- Institute for Behavioral Genetics, Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Pravesh Parekh
- NORMENT, Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital & Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Oleksandr Frei
- NORMENT, Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital & Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Centre for Bioinformatics, Department of Informatics, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Wesley K Thompson
- Center for Population Neuroscience and Genetics, Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, OK, USA
| | - Ole A Andreassen
- NORMENT, Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital & Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Michael Neale
- Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
| | - Terry L Jernigan
- Center for Human Development, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Department of Cognitive Science, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Department of Radiology, University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Anders M Dale
- Center for Multimodal Imaging and Genetics, San Diego School of Medicine, University of California, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Department of Cognitive Science, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Department of Radiology, University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA, USA
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McAdams TA, Cheesman R, Ahmadzadeh YI. Annual Research Review: Towards a deeper understanding of nature and nurture: combining family-based quasi-experimental methods with genomic data. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 2023; 64:693-707. [PMID: 36379220 PMCID: PMC10952916 DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.13720] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Distinguishing between the effects of nature and nurture constitutes a major research goal for those interested in understanding human development. It is known, for example, that many parent traits predict mental health outcomes in children, but the causal processes underlying such associations are often unclear. Family-based quasi-experimental designs such as sibling comparison, adoption and extended family studies have been used for decades to distinguish the genetic transmission of risk from the environmental effects family members potentially have on one another. Recently, these designs have been combined with genomic data, and this combination is fuelling a range of exciting methodological advances. In this review we explore these advances - highlighting the ways in which they have been applied to date and considering what they are likely to teach us in the coming years about the aetiology and intergenerational transmission of psychopathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tom A. McAdams
- Social Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and NeuroscienceKing's College LondonLondonUK
- PROMENTA Research Centre, Department of PsychologyUniversity of OsloOsloNorway
| | - Rosa Cheesman
- Social Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and NeuroscienceKing's College LondonLondonUK
- PROMENTA Research Centre, Department of PsychologyUniversity of OsloOsloNorway
| | - Yasmin I. Ahmadzadeh
- Social Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and NeuroscienceKing's College LondonLondonUK
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4
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Jami ES, Hammerschlag AR, Sallis HM, Qiao Z, Andreassen OA, Magnus PM, Njølstad PR, Havdahl A, Pingault JB, Evans DM, Munafò MR, Ystrom E, Bartels M, Middeldorp C. Do environmental effects indexed by parental genetic variation influence common psychiatric symptoms in childhood? Transl Psychiatry 2023; 13:94. [PMID: 36934099 PMCID: PMC10024694 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-023-02348-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2022] [Revised: 01/29/2023] [Accepted: 01/31/2023] [Indexed: 03/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Parental genes may indirectly influence offspring psychiatric outcomes through the environment that parents create for their children. These indirect genetic effects, also known as genetic nurture, could explain individual differences in common internalising and externalising psychiatric symptoms during childhood. Advanced statistical genetic methods leverage data from families to estimate the overall contribution of parental genetic nurture effects. This study included up to 10,499 children, 5990 mother-child pairs, and 6,222 father-child pairs from the Norwegian Mother Father and Child Study. Genome-based restricted maximum likelihood (GREML) models were applied using software packages GCTA and M-GCTA to estimate variance in maternally reported depressive, disruptive, and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms in 8-year-olds that was explained by direct offspring genetic effects and maternal or paternal genetic nurture. There was no strong evidence of genetic nurture in this sample, although a suggestive paternal genetic nurture effect on offspring depressive symptoms (variance explained (V) = 0.098, standard error (SE) = 0.057) and a suggestive maternal genetic nurture effect on ADHD symptoms (V = 0.084, SE = 0.058) was observed. The results indicate that parental genetic nurture effects could be of some relevance in explaining individual differences in childhood psychiatric symptoms. However, robustly estimating their contribution is a challenge for researchers given the current paucity of large-scale samples of genotyped families with information on childhood psychiatric outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eshim S Jami
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Anke R Hammerschlag
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Hannah M Sallis
- School of Psychological Science, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
- MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
- Centre for Academic Mental Health, Population Health Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Zhen Qiao
- The University of Queensland Diamantina Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Ole A Andreassen
- NORMENT Centre, Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital & Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- KG Jebsen Centre for Neurodevelopment, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Per M Magnus
- Centre of Fertility and Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
| | - Pål R Njølstad
- Center for Diabetes Research, Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Children and Youth Clinic, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
| | - Alexandra Havdahl
- Department of Mental Disorders, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
- PROMENTA Research Center, Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Nic Waals Institute, Lovisenberg Diakonale Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Jean-Baptiste Pingault
- Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, London, UK
| | - David M Evans
- The University of Queensland Diamantina Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
- Medical Research Council Integrative Epidemiology Unit at the University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
- Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Marcus R Munafò
- School of Psychological Science, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
- MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
- NIHR Biomedical Research Centre at the University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust and the University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Eivind Ystrom
- Center for Diabetes Research, Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Children and Youth Clinic, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
| | - Meike Bartels
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Christel Middeldorp
- Child Health Research Centre, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
- Child and Youth Mental Health Service, Children's Health Queensland Hospital and Health Service, Brisbane, Australia.
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Song J, Zou Y, Wu Y, Miao J, Yu Z, Fletcher JM, Lu Q. Decomposing heritability and genetic covariance by direct and indirect effect paths. PLoS Genet 2023; 19:e1010620. [PMID: 36689559 PMCID: PMC9894552 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1010620] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2022] [Revised: 02/02/2023] [Accepted: 01/16/2023] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Estimation of heritability and genetic covariance is crucial for quantifying and understanding complex trait genetic architecture and is employed in almost all recent genome-wide association studies (GWAS). However, many existing approaches for heritability estimation and almost all methods for estimating genetic correlation ignore the presence of indirect genetic effects, i.e., genotype-phenotype associations confounded by the parental genome and family environment, and may thus lead to incorrect interpretation especially for human sociobehavioral phenotypes. In this work, we introduce a statistical framework to decompose heritability and genetic covariance into multiple components representing direct and indirect effect paths. Applied to five traits in UK Biobank, we found substantial involvement of indirect genetic components in shared genetic architecture across traits. These results demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach and highlight the importance of accounting for indirect effects in variance component analysis of complex traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Song
- Department of Statistics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - Yiqing Zou
- Department of Statistics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States of America
| | - Yuchang Wu
- Department of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
- Center for Demography of Health and Aging, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - Jiacheng Miao
- Department of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - Ze Yu
- Department of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - Jason M. Fletcher
- Center for Demography of Health and Aging, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
- Department of Sociology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
- La Follette School of Public Affairs, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - Qiongshi Lu
- Department of Statistics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
- Department of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
- Center for Demography of Health and Aging, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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6
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Moen GH, Nivard M, Bhatta L, Warrington NM, Willer C, Åsvold BO, Brumpton B, Evans DM. Using Genomic Structural Equation Modeling to Partition the Genetic Covariance Between Birthweight and Cardiometabolic Risk Factors into Maternal and Offspring Components in the Norwegian HUNT Study. Behav Genet 2023; 53:40-52. [PMID: 36322199 PMCID: PMC9823066 DOI: 10.1007/s10519-022-10116-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2022] [Revised: 08/18/2022] [Accepted: 09/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
The Barker Hypothesis posits that adverse intrauterine environments result in fetal growth restriction and increased risk of cardiometabolic disease through developmental compensations. Here we introduce a new statistical model using the genomic SEM software that is capable of simultaneously partitioning the genetic covariation between birthweight and cardiometabolic traits into maternally mediated and offspring mediated contributions. We model the covariance between birthweight and later life outcomes, such as blood pressure, non-fasting glucose, blood lipids and body mass index in the Norwegian HUNT study, consisting of 15,261 mother-eldest offspring pairs with genetic and phenotypic data. Application of this model showed some evidence for maternally mediated effects of systolic blood pressure on offspring birthweight, and pleiotropy between birthweight and non-fasting glucose mediated through the offspring genome. This underscores the importance of genetic links between birthweight and cardiometabolic phenotypes and offer alternative explanations to environmentally based hypotheses for the phenotypic correlation between these variables.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gunn-Helen Moen
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway. .,Institute of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia. .,Department of Public Health and Nursing, K.G. Jebsen Center for Genetic Epidemiology, NTNU, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway. .,Population Health Science, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK. .,The University of Queensland Diamantina Institute, The University of Queensland, 4102, Woolloongabba, QLD, Australia.
| | - Michel Nivard
- grid.12380.380000 0004 1754 9227Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands ,grid.16872.3a0000 0004 0435 165XAmsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Laxmi Bhatta
- grid.5947.f0000 0001 1516 2393Department of Public Health and Nursing, K.G. Jebsen Center for Genetic Epidemiology, NTNU, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Nicole M Warrington
- grid.1003.20000 0000 9320 7537Institute of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia ,grid.5947.f0000 0001 1516 2393Department of Public Health and Nursing, K.G. Jebsen Center for Genetic Epidemiology, NTNU, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway ,grid.1003.20000 0000 9320 7537The University of Queensland Diamantina Institute, The University of Queensland, 4102 Woolloongabba, QLD Australia
| | - Cristen Willer
- grid.214458.e0000000086837370Department of Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA ,grid.214458.e0000000086837370Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI US ,grid.214458.e0000000086837370Department of Human Genetics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA
| | - Bjørn Olav Åsvold
- grid.5947.f0000 0001 1516 2393Department of Public Health and Nursing, K.G. Jebsen Center for Genetic Epidemiology, NTNU, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway ,grid.52522.320000 0004 0627 3560Department of Endocrinology, Clinic of Medicine, St. Olavs Hospital, Trondheim University Hospital, Trondheim, Norway ,grid.5947.f0000 0001 1516 2393Department of Public Health and Nursing, HUNT Research Centre, NTNU, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Ben Brumpton
- grid.5947.f0000 0001 1516 2393Department of Public Health and Nursing, K.G. Jebsen Center for Genetic Epidemiology, NTNU, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway ,grid.5947.f0000 0001 1516 2393Department of Public Health and Nursing, HUNT Research Centre, NTNU, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway ,grid.52522.320000 0004 0627 3560Clinic of Medicine, St. Olavs Hospital, Trondheim University Hospital, Trondheim, Norway
| | - David M. Evans
- grid.1003.20000 0000 9320 7537Institute of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia ,grid.1003.20000 0000 9320 7537The University of Queensland Diamantina Institute, The University of Queensland, 4102 Woolloongabba, QLD Australia ,grid.5337.20000 0004 1936 7603Medical Research Council Integrative Epidemiology Unit, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
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Hwang LD, Moen GH, Evans DM. Using adopted individuals to partition indirect maternal genetic effects into prenatal and postnatal effects on offspring phenotypes. eLife 2022; 11:e73671. [PMID: 35822614 PMCID: PMC9323003 DOI: 10.7554/elife.73671] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2021] [Accepted: 07/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Maternal genetic effects can be defined as the effect of a mother's genotype on the phenotype of her offspring, independent of the offspring's genotype. Maternal genetic effects can act via the intrauterine environment during pregnancy and/or via the postnatal environment. In this manuscript, we present a simple extension to the basic adoption design that uses structural equation modelling (SEM) to partition maternal genetic effects into prenatal and postnatal effects. We examine the power, utility and type I error rate of our model using simulations and asymptotic power calculations. We apply our model to polygenic scores of educational attainment and birth weight associated variants, in up to 5,178 adopted singletons, 943 trios, 2687 mother-offspring pairs, 712 father-offspring pairs and 347,980 singletons from the UK Biobank. Our results show the expected pattern of maternal genetic effects on offspring birth weight, but unexpectedly large prenatal maternal genetic effects on offspring educational attainment. Sensitivity and simulation analyses suggest this result may be at least partially due to adopted individuals in the UK Biobank being raised by their biological relatives. We show that accurate modelling of these sorts of cryptic relationships is sufficient to bring type I error rate under control and produce asymptotically unbiased estimates of prenatal and postnatal maternal genetic effects. We conclude that there would be considerable value in following up adopted individuals in the UK Biobank to determine whether they were raised by their biological relatives, and if so, to precisely ascertain the nature of these relationships. These adopted individuals could then be incorporated into informative statistical genetics models like the one described in our manuscript to further elucidate the genetic architecture of complex traits and diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liang-Dar Hwang
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of QueenslandBrisbaneAustralia
| | - Gunn-Helen Moen
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of QueenslandBrisbaneAustralia
- The University of Queensland Diamantina Institute, The University of QueenslandBrisbaneAustralia
- Institute for Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of OsloOsloNorway
- K.G. Jebsen Center for Genetic Epidemiology, Department of Public Health and Nursing, Norwegian University of Science and TechnologyTrondheimNorway
- Population Health Science, Bristol Medical School, University of BristolBristolUnited Kingdom
| | - David M Evans
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of QueenslandBrisbaneAustralia
- The University of Queensland Diamantina Institute, The University of QueenslandBrisbaneAustralia
- MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit, University of BristolBristolUnited Kingdom
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Evaluation of Genetic Parameters of Growth of Pelibuey and Blackbelly Sheep through Pedigree in Mexico. Animals (Basel) 2022; 12:ani12060691. [PMID: 35327088 PMCID: PMC8944755 DOI: 10.3390/ani12060691] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2022] [Revised: 02/26/2022] [Accepted: 03/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary The importance of sheep production in Mexico has been increasing in recent years. Animal performance can be improved through continuous selection and cumulative genetic management. Studies on non-genetic factors that influence the growth characteristics of sheep, due to their positive genetic correlation with other live weights, can present data of great interest to small producers with limited resources. In the present study, genealogical and functional information from the historical archive of the Mexican Association of Sheep Breeders (AMCO) was used. The objective was to estimate the heritability and genetic correlations of the growth of ewes born and weaned at different times of the same year from different herds with pedigree registration. The expected results could be incorporated into genetic selection programs with a favorable impact on the local economy of small sheep producers in Mexico. Abstract Birth weight (BW) and weaning weight (WW) data from Pelibuey and Blackbelly lambs belonging to the Asociación Mexicana de Criadores de Ovinos (AMCO) were used with the objective of estimating genetic parameters (heritability and genetic correlations) and analyzing the growth characteristics of ewes born and weaned at different times of the same year from different herds with pedigree registration. In the case of Pelibuey lambs, the animal model included the weaning weight at 75 days of age, considering the direct additive genetic effect, maternal additive genetic effect, covariance between direct and maternal effects, as well as the permanent environmental effect of the mother. The direct estimators of heritability for Pelibuey were BW = 0.01 ± 0.021 and WW = 0.31 ± 0.074 and for Blackbelly they were BW = 0.05 ± 0.042 and WW = 0.41 ± 0.146. In the case of the maternal heritability estimators in Pelibuey they were BW = 0.02 ± 0.040 and WW = 0.21 ± 0.121 and for Blackbelly they were BW = 0.12 ± 0.054 and WW = 0.28 ± 0.121. The magnitude of the estimates of genetic correlations between direct and maternal effects for adjusted weaning weight at 75 days of age indicate that genetic progress may be slow in a breeding program. However, these selection results could be included in the short term in the breeding programs for the Pelibuey and Blackbelly breeds in Mexico, for livestock development in low-income rural areas.
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Announcement of the Fulker Award for a Paper Published in Behavior Genetics, Volume 50, 2020. Behav Genet 2021; 51:767-768. [PMID: 34564788 DOI: 10.1007/s10519-021-10083-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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10
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The role of genetics in fetal programming of adult cardiometabolic disease. J Dev Orig Health Dis 2021; 13:292-299. [PMID: 34176548 DOI: 10.1017/s2040174421000350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Disturbances affecting early development have broad repercussions on the individual's health during infancy and adulthood. Multiple observational studies throughout the years have shown that alterations of fetal growth are associated with increased cardiometabolic disease risks. However, the genetic component of this association only started to be investigated in the last 40 years, when single genes with distinct effects were investigated. Birth weight (BW), commonly reported as the outcome of developmental growth, has been estimated to be 20% to 60% heritable. Through Genome-Wide Association (GWA) meta-analyses, 190 different loci have been identified being associated with BW, and while many of these loci designate genes involved in glucose and lipid metabolism, with clear ties to fetal development, the role of others is not yet understood. In addition, due to its influence over the intrauterine environment, the maternal genotype also plays an important part in the determination of offspring BW, with the same loci having independent effects of different magnitude or even direction. There is still much to uncover regarding the genetic determinants of BW and the interactions between maternal, offspring, and even paternal genotype. To fully understand these, diverse and novel cohorts from multiple ancestries collecting extensive neonatal phenotype will be needed. This review compiles, chronologically, the main findings in the investigation of the genetics of BW.
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11
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Evans DM, Medland SE, Prom-Wormley E. Introduction to the Special Issue on Statistical Genetic Methods for Human Complex Traits. Behav Genet 2021; 51:165-169. [PMID: 33864530 DOI: 10.1007/s10519-021-10057-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- David M Evans
- The University of Queensland Diamantina Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia. .,MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.
| | - Sarah E Medland
- QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Elizabeth Prom-Wormley
- The Division of Epidemiology, Department of Family Medicine and Population Health, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, USA
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12
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Hwang LD, Davies NM, Warrington NM, Evans DM. Integrating Family-Based and Mendelian Randomization Designs. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Med 2021; 11:cshperspect.a039503. [PMID: 32122917 PMCID: PMC7919398 DOI: 10.1101/cshperspect.a039503] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Most Mendelian randomization (MR) studies published in the literature to date have involved analyses of unrelated, putatively independent sets of individuals. However, estimates obtained from these sorts of studies are subject to a range of biases including dynastic effects, assortative mating, residual population stratification, and horizontal pleiotropy. The inclusion of related individuals in MR studies can help control for and, in some cases, estimate the effect of these biases on causal parameters. In this review, we discuss these biases, how they can affect MR studies, and describe three sorts of family-based study designs that can be used to control for them. We conclude that including family information from related individuals is not only possible given the world's existing twin, birth, and large-scale population-based cohorts, but likely to reap rich rewards in understanding the etiology of complex traits and diseases in the near future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liang-Dar Hwang
- The University of Queensland Diamantina Institute, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4102, Australia
| | - Neil M. Davies
- Medical Research Council Integrative Epidemiology Unit;,Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol BS82BN, United Kingdom
| | - Nicole M. Warrington
- The University of Queensland Diamantina Institute, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4102, Australia,K.G. Jebsen Center for Genetic Epidemiology, Department of Public Health and Nursing, NTNU, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim 7491, Norway
| | - David M. Evans
- The University of Queensland Diamantina Institute, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4102, Australia,Medical Research Council Integrative Epidemiology Unit
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13
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Direct and Indirect Effects of Maternal, Paternal, and Offspring Genotypes: Trio-GCTA. Behav Genet 2021; 51:154-161. [PMID: 33387132 DOI: 10.1007/s10519-020-10036-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2020] [Accepted: 12/07/2020] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Indirect genetic effects from relatives may result in misleading quantifications of heritability, but can also be of interest in their own right. In this paper we propose Trio-GCTA, a model for separating direct and indirect genetic effects when genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphism data have been collected from parent-offspring trios. The model is applicable to phenotypes obtained from any of the family members. We discuss appropriate parameter interpretations and apply the method to three exemplar phenotypes: offspring birth weight, maternal relationship satisfaction, and paternal body-mass index, using real data from the Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study (MoBa).
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14
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Jami ES, Eilertsen EM, Hammerschlag AR, Qiao Z, Evans DM, Ystrøm E, Bartels M, Middeldorp CM. Maternal and paternal effects on offspring internalizing problems: Results from genetic and family-based analyses. Am J Med Genet B Neuropsychiatr Genet 2020; 183:258-267. [PMID: 32356930 PMCID: PMC7317352 DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.b.32784] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2019] [Revised: 02/14/2020] [Accepted: 03/24/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
It is unclear to what extent parental influences on the development of internalizing problems in offspring are explained by indirect genetic effects, reflected in the environment provided by the parent, in addition to the genes transmitted from parent to child. In this study, these effects were investigated using two innovative methods in a large birth cohort. Using maternal-effects genome complex trait analysis (M-GCTA), the effects of offspring genotype, maternal or paternal genotypes, and their covariance on offspring internalizing problems were estimated in 3,801 mother-father-child genotyped trios. Next, estimated genetic correlations within pedigree data, including 10,688 children, were used to estimate additive genetic effects, maternal and paternal genetic effects, and a shared family effect using linear mixed effects modeling. There were no significant maternal or paternal genetic effects on offspring anxiety or depressive symptoms at age 8, beyond the effects transmitted via the genetic pathway between parents and children. However, indirect maternal genetic effects explained a small, but nonsignificant, proportion of variance in childhood depressive symptoms in both the M-GCTA (~4%) and pedigree (~8%) analyses. Our results suggest that parental effects on offspring internalizing problems are predominantly due to transmitted genetic variants, rather than the indirect effect of parental genes via the environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eshim S. Jami
- Department of Biological PsychologyVrije Universiteit AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands,Amsterdam Public Health Research InstituteAmsterdamThe Netherlands
| | | | - Anke R. Hammerschlag
- Department of Biological PsychologyVrije Universiteit AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands,Amsterdam Public Health Research InstituteAmsterdamThe Netherlands,Child Health Research CentreUniversity of QueenslandBrisbaneAustralia
| | - Zhen Qiao
- The University of Queensland Diamantina InstituteThe University of QueenslandBrisbaneAustralia
| | - David M. Evans
- The University of Queensland Diamantina InstituteThe University of QueenslandBrisbaneAustralia,Medical Research Council Integrative Epidemiology Unit at the University of BristolBristolUK,Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical SchoolUniversity of BristolBristolUK
| | - Eivind Ystrøm
- Department of Mental DisordersNorwegian Institute of Public HealthOsloNorway,PROMENTA Research Center, Department of PsychologyUniversity of OsloOsloNorway,School of PharmacyUniversity of OsloOsloNorway
| | - Meike Bartels
- Department of Biological PsychologyVrije Universiteit AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands,Amsterdam Public Health Research InstituteAmsterdamThe Netherlands
| | - Christel M. Middeldorp
- Department of Biological PsychologyVrije Universiteit AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands,Child Health Research CentreUniversity of QueenslandBrisbaneAustralia,Child and Youth Mental Health ServiceChildren's Health Queensland Hospital and Health ServiceBrisbaneAustralia
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