1
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Poisner H, Faucon A, Cox N, Bick AG. Genetic determinants and phenotypic consequences of blood T-cell proportions in 207,000 diverse individuals. Nat Commun 2024; 15:6732. [PMID: 39112476 PMCID: PMC11306580 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-51095-1] [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] [Received: 09/01/2023] [Accepted: 07/29/2024] [Indexed: 08/10/2024] Open
Abstract
T-cells play a critical role in multiple aspects of human health and disease. However, to date the genetic determinants of human T-cell abundance have not been studied at scale because assays quantifying T-cell abundance are not widely used in clinical or research settings. The complete blood count clinical assay quantifies lymphocyte abundance which includes T-cells, B-cells, and NK-cells. To address this gap, we directly estimate T-cell fractions from whole genome sequencing data in over 200,000 individuals from the multi-ethnic TOPMed and All of Us studies. We identified 27 loci associated with T-cell fraction. Interrogating electronic health records identified clinical phenotypes associated with T-cell fraction, including notable changes in T-cell proportions that were highly dynamic over the course of pregnancy. In summary, by estimating T-cell fraction, we obtained new insights into the genetic regulation of T-cells and identified disease consequences of T-cell fractions across the human phenome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah Poisner
- Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Annika Faucon
- Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Nancy Cox
- Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
- Division of Genetic Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Alexander G Bick
- Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA.
- Division of Genetic Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.
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2
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Lamkin M, Gymrek M. The emerging role of tandem repeats in complex traits. Nat Rev Genet 2024; 25:452-453. [PMID: 38714860 DOI: 10.1038/s41576-024-00736-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/21/2024]
Affiliation(s)
- Michael Lamkin
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Melissa Gymrek
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
- Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
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3
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Tanudisastro HA, Deveson IW, Dashnow H, MacArthur DG. Sequencing and characterizing short tandem repeats in the human genome. Nat Rev Genet 2024; 25:460-475. [PMID: 38366034 DOI: 10.1038/s41576-024-00692-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/06/2023] [Indexed: 02/18/2024]
Abstract
Short tandem repeats (STRs) are highly polymorphic sequences throughout the human genome that are composed of repeated copies of a 1-6-bp motif. Over 1 million variable STR loci are known, some of which regulate gene expression and influence complex traits, such as height. Moreover, variants in at least 60 STR loci cause genetic disorders, including Huntington disease and fragile X syndrome. Accurately identifying and genotyping STR variants is challenging, in particular mapping short reads to repetitive regions and inferring expanded repeat lengths. Recent advances in sequencing technology and computational tools for STR genotyping from sequencing data promise to help overcome this challenge and solve genetically unresolved cases and the 'missing heritability' of polygenic traits. Here, we compare STR genotyping methods, analytical tools and their applications to understand the effect of STR variation on health and disease. We identify emergent opportunities to refine genotyping and quality-control approaches as well as to integrate STRs into variant-calling workflows and large cohort analyses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hope A Tanudisastro
- Centre for Population Genomics, Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Centre for Population Genomics, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Ira W Deveson
- Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Genomics and Inherited Disease Program, Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Harriet Dashnow
- Department of Human Genetics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
| | - Daniel G MacArthur
- Centre for Population Genomics, Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
- Centre for Population Genomics, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
- Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
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4
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Rajan-Babu IS, Dolzhenko E, Eberle MA, Friedman JM. Sequence composition changes in short tandem repeats: heterogeneity, detection, mechanisms and clinical implications. Nat Rev Genet 2024; 25:476-499. [PMID: 38467784 DOI: 10.1038/s41576-024-00696-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/19/2024] [Indexed: 03/13/2024]
Abstract
Short tandem repeats (STRs) are a class of repetitive elements, composed of tandem arrays of 1-6 base pair sequence motifs, that comprise a substantial fraction of the human genome. STR expansions can cause a wide range of neurological and neuromuscular conditions, known as repeat expansion disorders, whose age of onset, severity, penetrance and/or clinical phenotype are influenced by the length of the repeats and their sequence composition. The presence of non-canonical motifs, depending on the type, frequency and position within the repeat tract, can alter clinical outcomes by modifying somatic and intergenerational repeat stability, gene expression and mutant transcript-mediated and/or protein-mediated toxicities. Here, we review the diverse structural conformations of repeat expansions, technological advances for the characterization of changes in sequence composition, their clinical correlations and the impact on disease mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Indhu-Shree Rajan-Babu
- Department of Medical Genetics, The University of British Columbia, and Children's & Women's Hospital, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
| | | | | | - Jan M Friedman
- Department of Medical Genetics, The University of British Columbia, and Children's & Women's Hospital, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
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5
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Chiu R, Rajan-Babu IS, Friedman JM, Birol I. A comprehensive tandem repeat catalog of the human genome. MEDRXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR HEALTH SCIENCES 2024:2024.06.19.24309173. [PMID: 38947075 PMCID: PMC11213036 DOI: 10.1101/2024.06.19.24309173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/02/2024]
Abstract
With the increasing availability of long-read sequencing data, high-quality human genome assemblies, and software for fully characterizing tandem repeats, genome-wide genotyping of tandem repeat loci on a population scale becomes more feasible. Such efforts not only expand our knowledge of the tandem repeat landscape in the human genome but also enhance our ability to differentiate pathogenic tandem repeat mutations from benign polymorphisms. To this end, we analyzed 272 genomes assembled using datasets from three public initiatives that employed different long-read sequencing technologies. Here, we report a catalog of over 18 million tandem repeat loci, many of which were previously unannotated. Some of these loci are highly polymorphic, and many of them reside within coding sequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Readman Chiu
- Canada's Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre, BC Cancer, Vancouver, BC V5Z 4S6, Canada
| | - Indhu-Shree Rajan-Babu
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V5Z 4H4, Canada
| | - Jan M Friedman
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V5Z 4H4, Canada
- BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, BC V5Z 4H4, Canada
| | - Inanc Birol
- Canada's Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre, BC Cancer, Vancouver, BC V5Z 4S6, Canada
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V5Z 4H4, Canada
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6
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Rodriguez-Algarra F, Evans DM, Rakyan VK. Ribosomal DNA copy number variation associates with hematological profiles and renal function in the UK Biobank. CELL GENOMICS 2024; 4:100562. [PMID: 38749448 PMCID: PMC11228893 DOI: 10.1016/j.xgen.2024.100562] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2023] [Revised: 11/19/2023] [Accepted: 04/21/2024] [Indexed: 06/15/2024]
Abstract
The phenotypic impact of genetic variation of repetitive features in the human genome is currently understudied. One such feature is the multi-copy 47S ribosomal DNA (rDNA) that codes for rRNA components of the ribosome. Here, we present an analysis of rDNA copy number (CN) variation in the UK Biobank (UKB). From the first release of UKB whole-genome sequencing (WGS) data, a discovery analysis in White British individuals reveals that rDNA CN associates with altered counts of specific blood cell subtypes, such as neutrophils, and with the estimated glomerular filtration rate, a marker of kidney function. Similar trends are observed in other ancestries. A range of analyses argue against reverse causality or common confounder effects, and all core results replicate in the second UKB WGS release. Our work demonstrates that rDNA CN is a genetic influence on trait variance in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - David M Evans
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia; Frazer Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4102, Australia; MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 2BN, UK
| | - Vardhman K Rakyan
- The Blizard Institute, School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London E1 2AT, UK.
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7
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Rossen J, Shi H, Strober BJ, Zhang MJ, Kanai M, McCaw ZR, Liang L, Weissbrod O, Price AL. MultiSuSiE improves multi-ancestry fine-mapping in All of Us whole-genome sequencing data. MEDRXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR HEALTH SCIENCES 2024:2024.05.13.24307291. [PMID: 38798542 PMCID: PMC11118590 DOI: 10.1101/2024.05.13.24307291] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/29/2024]
Abstract
Leveraging data from multiple ancestries can greatly improve fine-mapping power due to differences in linkage disequilibrium and allele frequencies. We propose MultiSuSiE, an extension of the sum of single effects model (SuSiE) to multiple ancestries that allows causal effect sizes to vary across ancestries based on a multivariate normal prior informed by empirical data. We evaluated MultiSuSiE via simulations and analyses of 14 quantitative traits leveraging whole-genome sequencing data in 47k African-ancestry and 94k European-ancestry individuals from All of Us. In simulations, MultiSuSiE applied to Afr47k+Eur47k was well-calibrated and attained higher power than SuSiE applied to Eur94k; interestingly, higher causal variant PIPs in Afr47k compared to Eur47k were entirely explained by differences in the extent of LD quantified by LD 4th moments. Compared to very recently proposed multi-ancestry fine-mapping methods, MultiSuSiE attained higher power and/or much lower computational costs, making the analysis of large-scale All of Us data feasible. In real trait analyses, MultiSuSiE applied to Afr47k+Eur94k identified 579 fine-mapped variants with PIP > 0.5, and MultiSuSiE applied to Afr47k+Eur47k identified 44% more fine-mapped variants with PIP > 0.5 than SuSiE applied to Eur94k. We validated MultiSuSiE results for real traits via functional enrichment of fine-mapped variants. We highlight several examples where MultiSuSiE implicates well-studied or biologically plausible fine-mapped variants that were not implicated by other methods.
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8
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Maciocha F, Suchanecka A, Chmielowiec K, Chmielowiec J, Ciechanowicz A, Boroń A. Correlations of the CNR1 Gene with Personality Traits in Women with Alcohol Use Disorder. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:5174. [PMID: 38791212 PMCID: PMC11121729 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25105174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2024] [Revised: 05/02/2024] [Accepted: 05/07/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a significant issue affecting women, with severe consequences for society, the economy, and most importantly, health. Both personality and alcohol use disorders are phenotypically very complex, and elucidating their shared heritability is a challenge for medical genetics. Therefore, our study investigated the correlations between the microsatellite polymorphism (AAT)n of the Cannabinoid Receptor 1 (CNR1) gene and personality traits in women with AUD. The study group included 187 female subjects. Of these, 93 were diagnosed with alcohol use disorder, and 94 were controls. Repeat length polymorphism of microsatellite regions (AAT)n in the CNR1 gene was identified with PCR. All participants were assessed with the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview and completed the NEO Five-Factor and State-Trait Anxiety Inventories. In the group of AUD subjects, significantly fewer (AAT)n repeats were present when compared with controls (p = 0.0380). While comparing the alcohol use disorder subjects (AUD) and the controls, we observed significantly higher scores on the STAI trait (p < 0.00001) and state scales (p = 0.0001) and on the NEO Five-Factor Inventory Neuroticism (p < 0.00001) and Openness (p = 0.0237; insignificant after Bonferroni correction) scales. Significantly lower results were obtained on the NEO-FFI Extraversion (p = 0.00003), Agreeability (p < 0.00001) and Conscientiousness (p < 0.00001) scales by the AUD subjects when compared to controls. There was no statistically significant Pearson's linear correlation between the number of (AAT)n repeats in the CNR1 gene and the STAI and NEO Five-Factor Inventory scores in the group of AUD subjects. In contrast, Pearson's linear correlation analysis in controls showed a positive correlation between the number of the (AAT)n repeats and the STAI state scale (r = 0.184; p = 0.011; insignificant after Bonferroni correction) and a negative correlation with the NEO-FFI Openness scale (r = -0.241; p = 0.001). Interestingly, our study provided data on two separate complex issues, i.e., (1) the association of (AAT)n CNR1 repeats with the AUD in females; (2) the correlation of (AAT)n CNR1 repeats with anxiety as a state and Openness in non-alcohol dependent subjects. In conclusion, our study provided a plethora of valuable data for improving our understanding of alcohol use disorder and anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Filip Maciocha
- Department of Clinical and Molecular Biochemistry, Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, Powstańców Wielkopolskich 72 St., 70-111 Szczecin, Poland; (F.M.); (A.C.)
| | - Aleksandra Suchanecka
- Independent Laboratory of Behavioral Genetics and Epigenetics, Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, Powstańców Wielkopolskich 72 St., 70-111 Szczecin, Poland;
| | - Krzysztof Chmielowiec
- Department of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Collegium Medicum, University of Zielona Góra, 28 Zyty St., 65-046 Zielona Góra, Poland; (K.C.); (J.C.)
| | - Jolanta Chmielowiec
- Department of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Collegium Medicum, University of Zielona Góra, 28 Zyty St., 65-046 Zielona Góra, Poland; (K.C.); (J.C.)
| | - Andrzej Ciechanowicz
- Department of Clinical and Molecular Biochemistry, Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, Powstańców Wielkopolskich 72 St., 70-111 Szczecin, Poland; (F.M.); (A.C.)
| | - Agnieszka Boroń
- Department of Clinical and Molecular Biochemistry, Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, Powstańców Wielkopolskich 72 St., 70-111 Szczecin, Poland; (F.M.); (A.C.)
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9
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Goldberg ME, Noyes MD, Eichler EE, Quinlan AR, Harris K. Effects of parental age and polymer composition on short tandem repeat de novo mutation rates. Genetics 2024; 226:iyae013. [PMID: 38298127 PMCID: PMC10990422 DOI: 10.1093/genetics/iyae013] [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] [Received: 08/11/2023] [Revised: 08/11/2023] [Accepted: 01/05/2024] [Indexed: 02/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Short tandem repeats (STRs) are hotspots of genomic variability in the human germline because of their high mutation rates, which have long been attributed largely to polymerase slippage during DNA replication. This model suggests that STR mutation rates should scale linearly with a father's age, as progenitor cells continually divide after puberty. In contrast, it suggests that STR mutation rates should not scale with a mother's age at her child's conception, since oocytes spend a mother's reproductive years arrested in meiosis II and undergo a fixed number of cell divisions that are independent of the age at ovulation. Yet, mirroring recent findings, we find that STR mutation rates covary with paternal and maternal age, implying that some STR mutations are caused by DNA damage in quiescent cells rather than polymerase slippage in replicating progenitor cells. These results echo the recent finding that DNA damage in oocytes is a significant source of de novo single nucleotide variants and corroborate evidence of STR expansion in postmitotic cells. However, we find that the maternal age effect is not confined to known hotspots of oocyte mutagenesis, nor are postzygotic mutations likely to contribute significantly. STR nucleotide composition demonstrates divergent effects on de novo mutation (DNM) rates between sexes. Unlike the paternal lineage, maternally derived DNMs at A/T STRs display a significantly greater association with maternal age than DNMs at G/C-containing STRs. These observations may suggest the mechanism and developmental timing of certain STR mutations and contradict prior attribution of replication slippage as the primary mechanism of STR mutagenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael E Goldberg
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
- Departments of Human Genetics and Biomedical Informatics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
| | - Michelle D Noyes
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Evan E Eichler
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Aaron R Quinlan
- Departments of Human Genetics and Biomedical Informatics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
| | - Kelley Harris
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
- Computational Biology Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
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10
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Hujoel MLA, Handsaker RE, Sherman MA, Kamitaki N, Barton AR, Mukamel RE, Terao C, McCarroll SA, Loh PR. Protein-altering variants at copy number-variable regions influence diverse human phenotypes. Nat Genet 2024; 56:569-578. [PMID: 38548989 PMCID: PMC11018521 DOI: 10.1038/s41588-024-01684-z] [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] [Received: 06/23/2023] [Accepted: 02/08/2024] [Indexed: 04/09/2024]
Abstract
Copy number variants (CNVs) are among the largest genetic variants, yet CNVs have not been effectively ascertained in most genetic association studies. Here we ascertained protein-altering CNVs from UK Biobank whole-exome sequencing data (n = 468,570) using haplotype-informed methods capable of detecting subexonic CNVs and variation within segmental duplications. Incorporating CNVs into analyses of rare variants predicted to cause gene loss of function (LOF) identified 100 associations of predicted LOF variants with 41 quantitative traits. A low-frequency partial deletion of RGL3 exon 6 conferred one of the strongest protective effects of gene LOF on hypertension risk (odds ratio = 0.86 (0.82-0.90)). Protein-coding variation in rapidly evolving gene families within segmental duplications-previously invisible to most analysis methods-generated some of the human genome's largest contributions to variation in type 2 diabetes risk, chronotype and blood cell traits. These results illustrate the potential for new genetic insights from genomic variation that has escaped large-scale analysis to date.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margaux L A Hujoel
- Division of Genetics, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
- Center for Data Sciences, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
- Program in Medical and Population Genetics, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.
| | - Robert E Handsaker
- Program in Medical and Population Genetics, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Maxwell A Sherman
- Division of Genetics, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Center for Data Sciences, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Program in Medical and Population Genetics, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Serinus Biosciences Inc., New York, NY, USA
| | - Nolan Kamitaki
- Division of Genetics, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Center for Data Sciences, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Program in Medical and Population Genetics, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Alison R Barton
- Division of Genetics, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Center for Data Sciences, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Ronen E Mukamel
- Division of Genetics, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Center for Data Sciences, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Program in Medical and Population Genetics, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Chikashi Terao
- Laboratory for Statistical and Translational Genetics, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences, Yokohama, Japan
- Clinical Research Center, Shizuoka General Hospital, Shizuoka, Japan
- Department of Applied Genetics, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Shizuoka, Shizuoka, Japan
| | - Steven A McCarroll
- Program in Medical and Population Genetics, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Po-Ru Loh
- Division of Genetics, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
- Center for Data Sciences, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
- Program in Medical and Population Genetics, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.
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Fazzari V, Moo-Choy A, Panoyan MA, Abbatangelo CL, Polimanti R, Novroski NM, Wendt FR. Multi-ancestry tandem repeat association study of hair colour using exome-wide sequencing. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.02.24.581865. [PMID: 38464141 PMCID: PMC10925195 DOI: 10.1101/2024.02.24.581865] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/12/2024]
Abstract
Hair colour variation is influenced by hundreds of positions across the human genome but this genetic contribution has only been narrowly explored. Genome-wide association studies identified single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) influencing hair colour but the biology underlying these associations is challenging to interpret. We report 16 tandem repeats (TRs) with effects on different models of hair colour plus two TRs associated with hair colour in diverse ancestry groups. Several of these TRs expand or contract amino acid coding regions of their localized protein such that structure, and by extension function, may be altered. We also demonstrate that independent of SNP variation, these TRs can be used to great an additive polygenic score that predicts darker hair colour. This work adds to the growing body of evidence regarding TR influence on human traits with relatively large and independent effects relative to surrounding SNP variation.
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12
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Manigbas CA, Jadhav B, Garg P, Shadrina M, Lee W, Martin-Trujillo A, Sharp AJ. A phenome-wide association study of tandem repeat variation in 168,554 individuals from the UK Biobank. MEDRXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR HEALTH SCIENCES 2024:2024.01.22.24301630. [PMID: 38343850 PMCID: PMC10854328 DOI: 10.1101/2024.01.22.24301630] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2024]
Abstract
Most genetic association studies focus on binary variants. To identify the effects of multi-allelic variation of tandem repeats (TRs) on human traits, we performed direct TR genotyping and phenome-wide association studies in 168,554 individuals from the UK Biobank, identifying 47 TRs showing causal associations with 73 traits. We replicated 23 of 31 (74%) of these causal associations in the All of Us cohort. While this set included several known repeat expansion disorders, novel associations we found were attributable to common polymorphic variation in TR length rather than rare expansions and include e.g. a coding polyhistidine motif in HRCT1 influencing risk of hypertension and a poly(CGC) in the 5'UTR of GNB2 influencing heart rate. Causal TRs were strongly enriched for associations with local gene expression and DNA methylation. Our study highlights the contribution of multi-allelic TRs to the "missing heritability" of the human genome.
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Parikh K, Quintero Reis A, Wendt FR. Association between suicidal ideation and tandem repeats in contactins. Front Psychiatry 2024; 14:1236540. [PMID: 38239902 PMCID: PMC10794671 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1236540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2023] [Accepted: 12/13/2023] [Indexed: 01/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Death by suicide is one of the leading causes of death among adolescents. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified loci that associate with suicidal ideation and related behaviours. One such group of loci are the six contactin genes (CNTN1-6) that are critical to neurodevelopment through regulating neurite structure. Because single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) detected by GWAS often map to non-coding intergenic regions, we investigated whether repetitive variants in CNTNs associated with suicidality in a young cohort aged 8 to 21. Understanding the genetic liability of suicidal thought and behavior in this age group will promote early intervention and treatment. Methods Genotypic and phenotypic data were obtained from the Philadelphia Neurodevelopment Cohort (PNC). Across six CNTNs, 232 short tandem repeats (STRs) were analyzed in up to 4,595 individuals of European ancestry who expressed current, previous, or no suicidal ideation. STRs were imputed into SNP arrays using a phased SNP-STR haplotype reference panel from the 1000 Genomes Project. We tested several additive and interactive models of locus-level burden (i.e., sum of STR alleles) with respect to suicidal ideation. Additive models included sex, birth year, developmental stage ("DevStage"), and the first 10 principal components of ancestry as covariates; interactive models assessed the effect of STR-by-DevStage considering all other covariates. Results CNTN1-[T]N interacted with DevStage to increase risk for current suicidal ideation (CNTN1-[T]N-by-DevStage; p = 0.00035). Compared to the youngest age group, the middle (OR = 1.80, p = 0.0514) and oldest (OR = 3.82, p = 0.0002) participant groups had significantly higher odds of suicidal ideation as their STR length expanded; this result was independent of polygenic scores for suicidal ideation. Discussion These findings highlight diversity in the genetic effects (i.e., SNP and STR) acting on suicidal thoughts and behavior and advance our understanding of suicidal ideation across childhood and adolescence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kairavi Parikh
- Forensic Science Program, University of Toronto, Mississauga, ON, Canada
| | - Andrea Quintero Reis
- Forensic Science Program, University of Toronto, Mississauga, ON, Canada
- Biostatistics Division, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto, Mississauga, ON, Canada
| | - Frank R. Wendt
- Forensic Science Program, University of Toronto, Mississauga, ON, Canada
- Biostatistics Division, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto, Mississauga, ON, Canada
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Loh PR. Uncovering complex trait heritability hidden in the repeatome. CELL GENOMICS 2023; 3:100461. [PMID: 38116125 PMCID: PMC10726486 DOI: 10.1016/j.xgen.2023.100461] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2023]
Abstract
Short tandem repeats (STRs) account for a substantial fraction of human genetic variation, but their contribution to complex human phenotypes is largely unknown. Margoliash et al. perform detailed genome-wide association analysis and fine-mapping of STRs in UK Biobank, identifying many STRs likely to influence variation in blood and serum traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Po-Ru Loh
- Division of Genetics, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Center for Data Sciences, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Program in Medical and Population Genetics, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
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