Shared genetic architectures of subjective well-being in East Asian and European ancestry populations

Large-scale cross-ancestry genome-wide meta-analysis of serum urate

Hyperuricemia is an essential causal risk factor for gout and is associated with cardiometabolic diseases. Given the limited contribution of East Asian ancestry to genome-wide association studies of serum urate, the genetic architecture of serum urate requires exploration. A large-scale cross-ancestry genome-wide association meta-analysis of 1,029,323 individuals and ancestry-specific meta-analysis identifies a total of 351 loci, including 17 previously unreported loci. The genetic architecture of serum urate control is similar between European and East Asian populations. A transcriptome-wide association study, enrichment analysis, and colocalization analysis in relevant tissues identify candidate serum urate-associated genes, including CTBP1, SKIV2L, and WWP2. A phenome-wide association study using polygenic risk scores identifies serum urate-correlated diseases including heart failure and hypertension. Mendelian randomization and mediation analyses show that serum urate-associated genes might have a causal relationship with serum urate-correlated diseases via mediation effects. This study elucidates our understanding of the genetic architecture of serum urate control.

Shared genetic architectures of educational attainment in East Asian and European populations

Educational attainment (EduYears), a heritable trait often used as a proxy for cognitive ability, is associated with various health and social outcomes. Previous genome-wide association studies (GWASs) on EduYears have been focused on samples of European (EUR) genetic ancestries. Here we present the first large-scale GWAS of EduYears in people of East Asian (EAS) ancestry (n = 176,400) and conduct a cross-ancestry meta-analysis with EduYears GWAS in people of EUR ancestry (n = 766,345). EduYears showed a high genetic correlation and power-adjusted transferability ratio between EAS and EUR. We also found similar functional enrichment, gene expression enrichment and cross-trait genetic correlations between two populations. Cross-ancestry fine-mapping identified refined credible sets with a higher posterior inclusion probability than single population fine-mapping. Polygenic prediction analysis in four independent EAS and EUR cohorts demonstrated transferability between populations. Our study supports the need for further research on diverse ancestries to increase our understanding of the genetic basis of educational attainment.

Genetic architecture of well-being: cumulative effect of serotonergic polymorphisms

Serotonin influences mental health and well-being. To understand the influences of genetic variations in serotonin pathway on well-being, we examined the effects of seven serotonergic polymorphisms on subjective well-being (i.e. affective balance and global life satisfaction) and psychological well-being (i.e. optimal psychological functions in the face of existential challenges) in a larger sample. Results indicated that the cumulative genetic score, but single genetic effects of serotonergic polymorphisms, was related to individual differences in well-being. Specifically, individuals with a greater cumulative genetic score, which is related to a low risk of depression, tended to exhibit high levels of subjective well-being and psychological well-being. These findings suggest that the overall serotoninergic genetic profile, rather than a specific genetic polymorphism, could greatly influence the individual differences in well-being.