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Dack K, Bustamante M, Taylor CM, Llop S, Lozano M, Yousefi P, Gražulevičienė R, Gutzkow KB, Brantsæter AL, Mason D, Escaramís G, Lewis SJ. Genome-Wide Association Study of Blood Mercury in European Pregnant Women and Children. Genes (Basel) 2023; 14:2123. [PMID: 38136945 PMCID: PMC10742428 DOI: 10.3390/genes14122123] [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: 10/16/2023] [Revised: 11/16/2023] [Accepted: 11/22/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Mercury has high industrial utility and is present in many products, and environmental contamination and occupational exposure are widespread. There are numerous biological systems involved in the absorption, metabolism, and excretion of Hg, and it is possible that some systems may be impacted by genetic variation. If so, genotype may affect tissue concentrations of Hg and subsequent toxic effects. Genome-wide association testing was performed on blood Hg samples from pregnant women of the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (n = 2893) and children of the Human Early Life Exposome (n = 1042). Directly-genotyped single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were imputed to the Haplotype Reference Consortium r1.1 panel of whole genotypes and modelled againstlog-transformed Hg. Heritability was estimated using linkage disequilibrium score regression. The heritability of Hg was estimated as 24.0% (95% CI: 16.9% to 46.4%) in pregnant women, but could not be determined in children. There were 16 SNPs associated with Hg in pregnant women above a suggestive p-value threshold (p < 1 × 10-5), and 21 for children. However, no SNP passed this threshold in both studies, and none were genome-wide significant (p < 5 × 10-8). SNP-Hg associations were highly discordant between women and children, and this may reflect differences in metabolism, a gene-age interaction, or dose-response effects. Several suggestive variants had plausible links to Hg metabolism, such as rs146099921 in metal transporter SLC39A14, and two variants (rs28618224, rs7154700) in potassium voltage-gated channel genes. The findings would benefit from external validation, as suggestive results may contain both true associations and false positives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyle Dack
- Medical Research Council Integrative Epidemiology Unit, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TH, UK; (K.D.)
| | - Mariona Bustamante
- ISGlobal, Institute for Global Health, 08036 Barcelona, Spain
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), 08018 Barcelona, Spain
- Spanish Consortium for Research on Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), 28029 Madrid, Spain (G.E.)
| | - Caroline M. Taylor
- Centre for Academic Child Health, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 2PS, UK;
| | - Sabrina Llop
- Spanish Consortium for Research on Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), 28029 Madrid, Spain (G.E.)
- Epidemiology and Environmental Health Joint Research Unit, FISABIO- Universitat Jaume I - Universitat de València, 46020 Valencia, Spain
| | - Manuel Lozano
- Epidemiology and Environmental Health Joint Research Unit, FISABIO- Universitat Jaume I - Universitat de València, 46020 Valencia, Spain
- Department of Preventative Medicine, Food Sciences, Toxicology and Forensic Medicine Department, Universitat de València, 46100 Valencia, Spain
| | - Paul Yousefi
- Medical Research Council Integrative Epidemiology Unit, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TH, UK; (K.D.)
| | - Regina Gražulevičienė
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Vytautas Magnus University, 53361 Kaunas, Lithuania
| | - Kristine Bjerve Gutzkow
- Department of Air Quality and Noise, Division of Climate and Environmental Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, P.O. Box 222 Skoyen, NO-0213 Oslo, Norway;
| | - Anne Lise Brantsæter
- Department of Food Safety, Division of Climate and Environmental Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, P.O. Box 222 Skoyen, NO-0213 Oslo, Norway
| | - Dan Mason
- Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Duckworth Lane, Bradford BD9 6RJ, UK
| | - Georgia Escaramís
- Spanish Consortium for Research on Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), 28029 Madrid, Spain (G.E.)
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Neuroscience, University of Barcelona, 08035 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Sarah J. Lewis
- Medical Research Council Integrative Epidemiology Unit, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TH, UK; (K.D.)
- Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TH, UK
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Durand A, Winkler CA, Vince N, Douillard V, Geffard E, Binns-Roemer E, Ng DK, Gourraud PA, Reidy K, Warady B, Furth S, Kopp JB, Kaskel FJ, Limou S. Identification of Novel Genetic Risk Factors for Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis in Children: Results From the Chronic Kidney Disease in Children (CKiD) Cohort. Am J Kidney Dis 2023; 81:635-646.e1. [PMID: 36623684 DOI: 10.1053/j.ajkd.2022.11.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2022] [Accepted: 11/02/2022] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
RATIONALE & OBJECTIVE Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) is a major cause of pediatric nephrotic syndrome, and African Americans exhibit an increased risk for developing FSGS compared with other populations. Predisposing genetic factors have previously been described in adults. Here we performed genomic screening of primary FSGS in a pediatric African American population. STUDY DESIGN Prospective cohort with case-control genetic association study design. SETTING & PARTICIPANTS 140 African American children with chronic kidney disease from the Chronic Kidney Disease in Children (CKiD) cohort, including 32 cases with FSGS. PREDICTORS Over 680,000 common single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were tested for association. We also ran a pathway enrichment analysis and a human leucocyte antigen (HLA)-focused association study. OUTCOME Primary biopsy-proven pediatric FSGS. ANALYTICAL APPROACH Multivariate logistic regression models. RESULTS The genome-wide association study revealed 169 SNPs from 14 independent loci significantly associated with FSGS (false discovery rate [FDR]<5%). We observed notable signals for genetic variants within the APOL1 (P=8.6×10-7; OR, 25.8 [95% CI, 7.1-94.0]), ALMS1 (P=1.3×10-7; 13.0% in FSGS cases vs 0% in controls), and FGFR4 (P=4.3×10-6; OR, 24.8 [95% CI, 6.3-97.7]) genes, all of which had previously been associated with adult FSGS, kidney function, or chronic kidney disease. We also highlighted novel, functionally relevant genes, including GRB2 (which encodes a slit diaphragm protein promoting podocyte structure through actin polymerization) and ITGB1 (which is linked to renal injuries). Our results suggest a major role for immune responses and antigen presentation in pediatric FSGS through (1) associations with SNPs in PTPRJ (or CD148, P=3.5×10-7), which plays a role in T-cell receptor signaling, (2) HLA-DRB1∗11:01 association (P=6.1×10-3; OR, 4.5 [95% CI, 1.5-13.0]), and (3) signaling pathway enrichment (P=1.3×10-6). LIMITATIONS Sample size and no independent replication cohort with genomic data readily available. CONCLUSIONS Our genetic study has identified functionally relevant risk factors and the importance of immune regulation for pediatric primary FSGS, which contributes to a better description of its molecular pathophysiological mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Axelle Durand
- Center for Research in Transplantation and Translational Immunology (UMR 1064), Nantes Université, Ecole Centrale Nantes, CHU Nantes, INSERM, F-44000 Nantes, France
| | - Cheryl A Winkler
- Basic Research Laboratory, Center for Cancer Research, Frederick National Laboratory, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, Maryland
| | - Nicolas Vince
- Center for Research in Transplantation and Translational Immunology (UMR 1064), Nantes Université, Ecole Centrale Nantes, CHU Nantes, INSERM, F-44000 Nantes, France
| | - Venceslas Douillard
- Center for Research in Transplantation and Translational Immunology (UMR 1064), Nantes Université, Ecole Centrale Nantes, CHU Nantes, INSERM, F-44000 Nantes, France
| | - Estelle Geffard
- Center for Research in Transplantation and Translational Immunology (UMR 1064), Nantes Université, Ecole Centrale Nantes, CHU Nantes, INSERM, F-44000 Nantes, France
| | - Elizabeth Binns-Roemer
- Basic Research Laboratory, Center for Cancer Research, Frederick National Laboratory, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, Maryland
| | - Derek K Ng
- Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Pierre-Antoine Gourraud
- Center for Research in Transplantation and Translational Immunology (UMR 1064), Nantes Université, Ecole Centrale Nantes, CHU Nantes, INSERM, F-44000 Nantes, France
| | - Kimberley Reidy
- Children's Hospital at Montefiore, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York
| | | | - Susan Furth
- Children's Hospital of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Jeffrey B Kopp
- Kidney Disease Section, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Frederick J Kaskel
- Children's Hospital at Montefiore, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York
| | - Sophie Limou
- Center for Research in Transplantation and Translational Immunology (UMR 1064), Nantes Université, Ecole Centrale Nantes, CHU Nantes, INSERM, F-44000 Nantes, France.
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Heritability of Urinary Amines, Organic Acids, and Steroid Hormones in Children. Metabolites 2022; 12:metabo12060474. [PMID: 35736407 PMCID: PMC9228478 DOI: 10.3390/metabo12060474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2022] [Revised: 05/18/2022] [Accepted: 05/20/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Variation in metabolite levels reflects individual differences in genetic and environmental factors. Here, we investigated the role of these factors in urinary metabolomics data in children. We examined the effects of sex and age on 86 metabolites, as measured on three metabolomics platforms that target amines, organic acids, and steroid hormones. Next, we estimated their heritability in a twin cohort of 1300 twins (age range: 5.7–12.9 years). We observed associations between age and 50 metabolites and between sex and 21 metabolites. The monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic (DZ) correlations for the urinary metabolites indicated a role for non-additive genetic factors for 50 amines, 13 organic acids, and 6 steroids. The average broad-sense heritability for these amines, organic acids, and steroids was 0.49 (range: 0.25–0.64), 0.50 (range: 0.33–0.62), and 0.64 (range: 0.43–0.81), respectively. For 6 amines, 7 organic acids, and 4 steroids the twin correlations indicated a role for shared environmental factors and the average narrow-sense heritability was 0.50 (range: 0.37–0.68), 0.50 (range; 0.23–0.61), and 0.47 (range: 0.32–0.70) for these amines, organic acids, and steroids. We conclude that urinary metabolites in children have substantial heritability, with similar estimates for amines and organic acids, and higher estimates for steroid hormones.
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