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Pott J, Kheirkhah A, Gadin JR, Kleber ME, Delgado GE, Kirsten H, Forer L, Hauck SM, Burkhardt R, Scharnagl H, Loeffler M, März W, Thiery J, Gieger C, Peters A, Silveira A, Hooft FV, Kronenberg F, Scholz M. Sex and statin-related genetic associations at the PCSK9 gene locus: results of genome-wide association meta-analysis. Biol Sex Differ 2024; 15:26. [PMID: 38532495 DOI: 10.1186/s13293-024-00602-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2023] [Accepted: 03/13/2024] [Indexed: 03/28/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) is a key player of lipid metabolism with higher plasma levels in women throughout their life. Statin treatment affects PCSK9 levels also showing evidence of sex-differential effects. It remains unclear whether these differences can be explained by genetics. METHODS We performed genome-wide association meta-analyses (GWAS) of PCSK9 levels stratified for sex and statin treatment in six independent studies of Europeans (8936 women/11,080 men respectively 14,825 statin-free/5191 statin-treated individuals). Loci associated in one of the strata were tested for statin- and sex-interactions considering all independent signals per locus. Independent variants at the PCSK9 gene locus were then used in a stratified Mendelian Randomization analysis (cis-MR) of PCSK9 effects on low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels to detect differences of causal effects between the subgroups. RESULTS We identified 11 loci associated with PCSK9 in at least one stratified subgroup (p < 1.0 × 10-6), including the PCSK9 gene locus and five other lipid loci: APOB, TM6SF2, FADS1/FADS2, JMJD1C, and HP/HPR. The interaction analysis revealed eight loci with sex- and/or statin-interactions. At the PCSK9 gene locus, there were four independent signals, one with a significant sex-interaction showing stronger effects in men (rs693668). Regarding statin treatment, there were two significant interactions in PCSK9 missense mutations: rs11591147 had stronger effects in statin-free individuals, and rs11583680 had stronger effects in statin-treated individuals. Besides replicating known loci, we detected two novel genome-wide significant associations: one for statin-treated individuals at 6q11.1 (within KHDRBS2) and one for males at 12q24.22 (near KSR2/NOS1), both with significant interactions. In the MR of PCSK9 on LDL-C, we observed significant causal estimates within all subgroups, but significantly stronger causal effects in statin-free subjects compared to statin-treated individuals. CONCLUSIONS We performed the first double-stratified GWAS of PCSK9 levels and identified multiple biologically plausible loci with genetic interaction effects. Our results indicate that the observed sexual dimorphism of PCSK9 and its statin-related interactions have a genetic basis. Significant differences in the causal relationship between PCSK9 and LDL-C suggest sex-specific dosages of PCSK9 inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janne Pott
- Institute for Medical Informatics, Statistics and Epidemiology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
- MRC Biostatistics Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
| | - Azin Kheirkhah
- Institute of Genetic Epidemiology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Jesper R Gadin
- Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine Solna, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital Solna, Solna, Sweden
| | - Marcus E Kleber
- Vth Department of Medicine, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
- SYNLAB MVZ Humangenetik Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Graciela E Delgado
- Vth Department of Medicine, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Holger Kirsten
- Institute for Medical Informatics, Statistics and Epidemiology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
- LIFE Research Center for Civilization Diseases, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Lukas Forer
- Institute of Genetic Epidemiology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Stefanie M Hauck
- Metabolomics and Proteomics Core, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Ralph Burkhardt
- LIFE Research Center for Civilization Diseases, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
- Institute of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, University Hospital Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Hubert Scharnagl
- Clinical Institute of Medical and Chemical Laboratory Diagnostics, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria
| | - Markus Loeffler
- Institute for Medical Informatics, Statistics and Epidemiology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
- LIFE Research Center for Civilization Diseases, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Winfried März
- Vth Department of Medicine, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
- Clinical Institute of Medical and Chemical Laboratory Diagnostics, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria
- SYNLAB Academy, Synlab Holding Deutschland GmbH, Mannheim and Augsburg, Germany
| | - Joachim Thiery
- Institute of Laboratory Medicine, Clinical Chemistry and Molecular Diagnostics, University Hospital Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Kiel, Kiel, Germany
| | - Christian Gieger
- Institute of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Annette Peters
- Institute of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Angela Silveira
- Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine Solna, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital Solna, Solna, Sweden
| | - Ferdinand Van't Hooft
- Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine Solna, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital Solna, Solna, Sweden
| | - Florian Kronenberg
- Institute of Genetic Epidemiology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Markus Scholz
- Institute for Medical Informatics, Statistics and Epidemiology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
- LIFE Research Center for Civilization Diseases, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
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Kheirkhah A, Schachtl-Riess JF, Lamina C, Di Maio S, Koller A, Schönherr S, Coassin S, Forer L, Sekula P, Gieger C, Peters A, Köttgen A, Eckardt KU, Kronenberg F. Meta-GWAS on PCSK9 concentrations reveals associations of novel loci outside the PCSK9 locus in White populations. Atherosclerosis 2023; 386:117384. [PMID: 37989062 DOI: 10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2023.117384] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2023] [Revised: 10/23/2023] [Accepted: 11/07/2023] [Indexed: 11/23/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) is a key regulator of lipid homeostasis. A few earlier genome-wide association studies (GWAS) investigated genetic variants associated with circulating PCSK9 concentrations. However, uncertainty remains about some of the genetic loci discovered beyond the PCSK9 locus. By conducting the largest PCSK9 meta-analysis of GWAS (meta-GWAS) so far, we aimed to identify novel loci and validate the previously reported loci that regulate PCSK9 concentrations. METHODS We performed GWAS for PCSK9 concentrations in two large cohorts (GCKD (n = 4,963) and KORA F3 (n = 2,895)). These were meta-analyzed with previously published data encompassing together 20,579 individuals. We further conducted a second meta-analysis in statin-naïve individuals (n = 15,390). A genetic risk score (GRS) was constructed on PCSK9-increasing SNPs and assessed its impact on the risk for coronary artery disease (CAD) in 394,943 statin-naïve participants (17,077 with events) of the UK Biobank by performing CAD-free survival analysis. RESULTS Nine loci were genome-wide significantly associated with PCSK9 concentrations. These included the previously described PCSK9, APOB, KCNA1/KCNA5, and TM6SF2/SUGP1 loci. All imputed SNPs in the PCSK9 locus account for ∼15% of variance of PCSK9 concentrations. We further identified FADS2 as a novel locus that was also found in statin-naïve participants. All imputed SNPs within the FADS2 locus explain ∼1.2% of variance of PCSK9 concentrations. Additionally, four further loci (a region on chromosome 5, SDK1, SPATA16 and HPR) were genome-wide significant in either the main model or the statin-naïve subset. The linear increase in a PCSK9 genetic risk score was associated with 1.41-fold (95%CI 1.16-1.72, p < 0.001) higher risk for incident CAD. CONCLUSIONS We identified five novel loci (FADS2, SPATA16, SDK1, HPR and a region on chromosome 5) for PCSK9 concentrations that would require further research. Additionally, we confirm the genome-wide significant loci that were previously detected.
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Affiliation(s)
- Azin Kheirkhah
- Institute of Genetic Epidemiology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | | | - Claudia Lamina
- Institute of Genetic Epidemiology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Silvia Di Maio
- Institute of Genetic Epidemiology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Adriana Koller
- Institute of Genetic Epidemiology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Sebastian Schönherr
- Institute of Genetic Epidemiology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Stefan Coassin
- Institute of Genetic Epidemiology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Lukas Forer
- Institute of Genetic Epidemiology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Peggy Sekula
- Institute of Genetic Epidemiology, Faculty of Medicine and Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Christian Gieger
- Institute of Epidemiology II, Helmholtz Zentrum München - German Research Center for Environmental Health, Germany
| | - Annette Peters
- Institute of Epidemiology II, Helmholtz Zentrum München - German Research Center for Environmental Health, Germany
| | - Anna Köttgen
- Institute of Genetic Epidemiology, Faculty of Medicine and Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Kai-Uwe Eckardt
- Department of Nephrology and Hypertension, University Hospital Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany; German Chronic Kidney Disease Study, Germany; Department of Nephrology and Medical Intensive Care, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Florian Kronenberg
- Institute of Genetic Epidemiology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria.
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Schachtl-Riess JF, Schönherr S, Lamina C, Forer L, Coassin S, Streiter G, Kheirkhah A, Li Y, Meiselbach H, Di Maio S, Eckardt KU, Köttgen A, Kronenberg F. KLKB1 and CLSTN2 are associated with HDL-mediated cholesterol efflux capacity in a genome-wide association study. Atherosclerosis 2023; 368:1-11. [PMID: 36812656 DOI: 10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2023.01.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2022] [Revised: 01/06/2023] [Accepted: 01/26/2023] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS HDL-mediated cholesterol efflux capacity (CEC) may protect from cardiovascular disease. Thus, we aimed to identify its genetic and non-genetic determinants. METHODS We measured CEC to 2% apolipoprotein B-depleted serum using BODIPY-cholesterol and cAMP-stimulated J774A.1 macrophages using serum samples from 4,981 participants in the German Chronic Kidney Disease (GCKD) study. Variance of CEC explained by clinical and biochemical parameters in a multivariable linear regression model was calculated by proportional marginal variance decomposition. A genome-wide association study with 7,746,917 variants was performed based on an additive genetic model. The main model was adjusted for age, sex and principal components 1-10. Further models were selected for sensitivity analysis and to reduce residual variance by known CEC pathways. RESULTS Variables that explained 1% and more of the variance of CEC were concentrations of triglycerides (12.9%), HDL-cholesterol (11.8%), LDL-cholesterol (3.0%), apolipoprotein A-IV (2.8%), PCSK9 (1.0%), and eGFR (1.0%). The KLKB1 (chr4) and APOE/C1 (chr19) loci were genome-wide significantly (p < 5x10-8) associated with CEC in our main model (p = 8.8x10-10 and p = 3.3x10-10, respectively). KLKB1 remained significantly associated after additional adjustment for either kidney parameters, HDL-cholesterol, triglycerides or apolipoprotein A-IV concentrations, while the APOE/C1 locus was not significantly associated anymore after adjustment for triglycerides. Adjustment for triglycerides also revealed an association with the CLSTN2 locus (chr3; p = 6.0x10-9). CONCLUSIONS We identified HDL-cholesterol and triglycerides as the main determinants of CEC. Furthermore, we newly found a significant association of CEC with the KLKB1 and the CLSTN2 locus and confirmed the association with the APOE/C1 locus, likely mediated by triglycerides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johanna F Schachtl-Riess
- Institute of Genetic Epidemiology, Department of Genetics, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Sebastian Schönherr
- Institute of Genetic Epidemiology, Department of Genetics, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Claudia Lamina
- Institute of Genetic Epidemiology, Department of Genetics, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Lukas Forer
- Institute of Genetic Epidemiology, Department of Genetics, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Stefan Coassin
- Institute of Genetic Epidemiology, Department of Genetics, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Gertraud Streiter
- Institute of Genetic Epidemiology, Department of Genetics, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Azin Kheirkhah
- Institute of Genetic Epidemiology, Department of Genetics, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Yong Li
- Institute of Genetic Epidemiology, Faculty of Medicine and Medical Center, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Heike Meiselbach
- Department of Nephrology and Hypertension, Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Silvia Di Maio
- Institute of Genetic Epidemiology, Department of Genetics, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Kai-Uwe Eckardt
- Department of Nephrology and Hypertension, Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany; Department of Nephrology and Medical Intensive Care, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Anna Köttgen
- Institute of Genetic Epidemiology, Faculty of Medicine and Medical Center, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Florian Kronenberg
- Institute of Genetic Epidemiology, Department of Genetics, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria.
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Kheirkhah A, Lamina C, Kollerits B, Schachtl-Riess J, Schultheiss U, Forer L, Sekula P, Kotsis F, Köttgen A, Eckardt K, Kronenberg F. Statin treatment and prevalent CVD influence the association between PCSK9 and incident CVD in patients with moderately decreased kidney function: Results from the GCKD study. Atherosclerosis 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2022.06.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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5
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Kheirkhah A, Lamina C, Kollerits B, Schachtl-Riess J, Schultheiss U, Forer L, Sekula P, Kotsis F, Eckardt KU, Kronenberg F. PCSK9 and Cardiovascular Disease in Individuals with Moderately Decreased Kidney Function. Clin J Am Soc Nephrol 2022; 17:809-818. [PMID: 35387881 PMCID: PMC9269648 DOI: 10.2215/cjn.01230122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2022] [Accepted: 04/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Background and objectives: Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) is a key regulator of lipid homeostasis. Studies investigating the association between PCSK9 and cardiovascular disease in large cohorts of CKD patients are limited. Design, setting, participants, and measurements: The association of PCSK9 concentrations with prevalent and incident cardiovascular disease was investigated in 5,138 Caucasians of the German Chronic Kidney Disease study with a median follow-up of 6.5 years. Inclusion criteria were eGFR of 30-60 mL/min/1.73 m2 or an eGFR>60 mL/min/1.73m2 in the presence of overt proteinuria (urine albumin-creatinine ratio >300mg/g or equivalent). Prevalent cardiovascular disease was defined as history of non-fatal myocardial infarction, coronary artery bypass grafting, percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty, carotid arteries interventions and stroke. Incident major adverse cardiovascular disease events included death from cardiovascular causes, acute non-fatal myocardial infarction and non-fatal stroke. Results: Median PCSK9 concentration in the cohort was 285 ng/mL (interquartile range 231-346 ng/mL). There was no association between PCSK9 concentrations and baseline eGFR and albuminuria. With each 100 ng/ml increment of PCSK9, the odds for prevalent cardiovascular disease (n=1,284) was 1.22-fold (95%CI 1.12-1.34, p<0.001) higher in a model with extended adjustment for major confounders. This association was stronger in non-statin than statin-users (p-value for interaction=0.009). During follow-up 474 individuals experienced a major adverse cardiovascular disease event and participants in PCSK9 quartiles 2 to 4 had a 32%-47% higher risk compared to quartile 1 (p<0.05). Subgroup analysis revealed this association was restricted to those participants who already had cardiovascular disease at baseline (all HR>1.75, p<0.05). In addition, PCSK9 showed a valuable gain in classification accuracy both for prevalent cardiovascular disease (NRI=0.27, 95%CI:0.20-0.33) and incident major adverse cardiovascular disease events during follow-up (NRI=0.10, 95%CI:0.008-0.21) when added to an extended adjustment model. Conclusions: Our findings reveal no relation of PCSK9 with baseline eGFR and albuminuria, but a significant association between higher PCSK9 concentrations and risk of cardiovascular disease independent of traditional risk factors including LDL-cholesterol levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Azin Kheirkhah
- A Kheirkhah, Institute of Genetic Epidemiology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Claudia Lamina
- C Lamina, Institute of Genetic Epidemiology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Barbara Kollerits
- B Kollerits, Institute of Genetic Epidemiology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Johanna Schachtl-Riess
- J Schachtl-Riess, Institute of Genetic Epidemiology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Ulla Schultheiss
- U Schultheiss, Institute of Genetic Epidemiology, Faculty of Medicine and Medical Center, University of Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
| | - Lukas Forer
- L Forer, Institute of Genetic Epidemiology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Peggy Sekula
- P Sekula, Institute of Genetic Epidemiology, Faculty of Medicine and Medical Center, University of Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
| | - Fruzsina Kotsis
- F Kotsis, Institute of Genetic Epidemiology, Faculty of Medicine and Medical Center, University of Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
| | - Kai-Uwe Eckardt
- K Eckardt, University Hospital Erlangen, Department of Nephrology and Hypertension, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Florian Kronenberg
- F Kronenberg, Institute of Genetic Epidemiology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
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Kheirkhah A, Lamina C, Kollerits B, Schachtl-Riess J, Schultheiss U, Forer L, Sekula P, Kotsis F, Köttgen A, Eckardt KU, Kronenberg F. Strong association between serum PCSK9 and cardiovascular disease in patients with moderate chronic kidney diseases - The GCKD study. Atherosclerosis 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2021.06.137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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Schachtl-Riess JF, Kheirkhah A, Grüneis R, Di Maio S, Schoenherr S, Streiter G, Losso JL, Paulweber B, Eckardt KU, Köttgen A, Lamina C, Kronenberg F, Coassin S. Frequent LPA KIV-2 Variants Lower Lipoprotein(a) Concentrations and Protect Against Coronary Artery Disease. J Am Coll Cardiol 2021; 78:437-449. [PMID: 34325833 PMCID: PMC7613585 DOI: 10.1016/j.jacc.2021.05.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2021] [Revised: 05/11/2021] [Accepted: 05/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Background Lipoprotein(a) (Lp(a)) concentrations are a major independent risk factor for coronary artery disease (CAD) and are mainly determined by variation in LPA. Up to 70% of the LPA coding sequence is located in the hyper-variable kringle IV type 2 (KIV-2) region. It is hardly accessible by conventional technologies, but may contain functional variants. Objectives This study sought to investigate the new, very frequent splicing variant KIV-2 4733G>A on Lp(a) and CAD. Methods We genotyped 4733G>A in the GCKD (German Chronic Kidney Disease) study (n = 4,673) by allele-specific polymerase chain reaction, performed minigene assays, identified proxy single nucleotide polymorphisms and used them to characterize its effect on CAD by survival analysis in UK Biobank (n = 440,234). Frequencies in ethnic groups were assessed in the 1000 Genomes Project. Results The 4733G>A variant (38.2% carrier frequency) was found in most isoform sizes. It reduces allelic expression without abolishing protein production, lowers Lp(a) by 13.6 mg/dL (95% CI: 12.5-14.7; P < 0.0001) and is the strongest variance-explaining factor after the smaller isoform. Splicing of minigenes was modified. Compound heterozygosity (4.6% of the population) for 4733G>A and 4925G>A, another KIV-2 splicing mutation, reduces Lp(a) by 31.8 mg/dL and most importantly narrows the interquartile range by 9-fold (from 42.1 to 4.6 mg/dL) when compared to the wild type. In UK Biobank 4733G>A alone and compound heterozygosity with 4925G>A reduced HR for CAD by 9% (95% CI: 7%-11%) and 12% (95% CI: 7%-16%) (both P < 0.001). Frequencies in ethnicities differ notably. Conclusions Functional variants in the previously inaccessible LPA KIV-2 region cooperate in determining Lp(a) variance and CAD risk. Even a moderate but lifelong genetic Lp(a) reduction translates to a noticeable CAD risk reduction. (J Am Coll Cardiol 2021;78:437–49)
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Affiliation(s)
- Johanna F Schachtl-Riess
- Institute of Genetic Epidemiology, Department of Genetics and Pharmacology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Azin Kheirkhah
- Institute of Genetic Epidemiology, Department of Genetics and Pharmacology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Rebecca Grüneis
- Institute of Genetic Epidemiology, Department of Genetics and Pharmacology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Silvia Di Maio
- Institute of Genetic Epidemiology, Department of Genetics and Pharmacology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Sebastian Schoenherr
- Institute of Genetic Epidemiology, Department of Genetics and Pharmacology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Gertraud Streiter
- Institute of Genetic Epidemiology, Department of Genetics and Pharmacology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Jamie Lee Losso
- Institute of Genetic Epidemiology, Department of Genetics and Pharmacology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Bernhard Paulweber
- First Department of Internal Medicine, Paracelsus Private Medical University, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Kai-Uwe Eckardt
- Department of Nephrology and Hypertension, Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany; Department of Nephrology and Medical Intensive Care, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Anna Köttgen
- Institute of Genetic Epidemiology, Faculty of Medicine and Medical Center, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Claudia Lamina
- Institute of Genetic Epidemiology, Department of Genetics and Pharmacology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Florian Kronenberg
- Institute of Genetic Epidemiology, Department of Genetics and Pharmacology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria.
| | - Stefan Coassin
- Institute of Genetic Epidemiology, Department of Genetics and Pharmacology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria.
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Schachtl-Riess J, Kheirkhah A, Grüneis R, Di Maio S, Schoenherr S, Streiter G, Losso J, Paulweber B, Eckardt KU, Köttgen A, Lamina C, Kronenberg F, Coassin S. Highly frequent variants hidden in the KIV-2 region of LPA regulate lipoprotein(a) concentrations and lower coronary artery disease risk. Atherosclerosis 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2021.06.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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Weissensteiner H, Forer L, Fendt L, Kheirkhah A, Salas A, Kronenberg F, Schoenherr S. Contamination detection in sequencing studies using the mitochondrial phylogeny. Genome Res 2021; 31:309-316. [PMID: 33452015 PMCID: PMC7849411 DOI: 10.1101/gr.256545.119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2019] [Accepted: 11/30/2020] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Within-species contamination is a major issue in sequencing studies, especially for mitochondrial studies. Contamination can be detected by analyzing the nuclear genome or by inspecting polymorphic sites in the mitochondrial genome (mtDNA). Existing methods using the nuclear genome are computationally expensive, and no appropriate tool for detecting sample contamination in large-scale mtDNA data sets is available. Here we present haplocheck, a tool that requires only the mtDNA to detect contamination in both targeted mitochondrial and whole-genome sequencing studies. Our in silico simulations and amplicon mixture experiments indicate that haplocheck detects mtDNA contamination accurately and is independent of the phylogenetic distance within a sample mixture. By applying haplocheck to The 1000 Genomes Project Consortium data, we further evaluate the application of haplocheck as a fast proxy tool for nDNA-based contamination detection using the mtDNA and identify the mitochondrial copy number within a mixture as a critical component for the overall accuracy. The haplocheck tool is available both as a command-line tool and as a cloud web service producing interactive reports that facilitates the navigation through the phylogeny of contaminated samples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hansi Weissensteiner
- Institute of Genetic Epidemiology, Department of Genetics and Pharmacology, Medical University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Lukas Forer
- Institute of Genetic Epidemiology, Department of Genetics and Pharmacology, Medical University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Liane Fendt
- Institute of Genetic Epidemiology, Department of Genetics and Pharmacology, Medical University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Azin Kheirkhah
- Institute of Genetic Epidemiology, Department of Genetics and Pharmacology, Medical University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Antonio Salas
- Unidade de Xenética, Instituto de Ciencias Forenses (INCIFOR), Facultade de Medicina, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, and GenPoB Research Group, Instituto de Sanitarias (IDIS), Hospital Clínico Universitario de Santiago (SERGAS), 15782, Galicia, Spain
| | - Florian Kronenberg
- Institute of Genetic Epidemiology, Department of Genetics and Pharmacology, Medical University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Sebastian Schoenherr
- Institute of Genetic Epidemiology, Department of Genetics and Pharmacology, Medical University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
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Kheirkhah A, Lamina C, Rantner B, Kollerits B, Stadler M, Klein-Weigel P, Fraedrich G, Kronenberg F. Elevated levels of serum PCSK9 in patients with symptomatic peripheral artery disease-the cavasic study. Atherosclerosis 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2020.10.311] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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Kheirkhah A, Lamina C, Rantner B, Kollerits B, Stadler M, Pohlhammer J, Klein-Weigel P, Fraedrich G, Kronenberg F. Elevated levels of serum PCSK9 in male patients with symptomatic peripheral artery disease: The CAVASIC study. Atherosclerosis 2020; 316:41-47. [PMID: 33302043 DOI: 10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2020.11.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2020] [Revised: 11/11/2020] [Accepted: 11/20/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Peripheral artery disease (PAD) affects more than 200 million people worldwide. Increased low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C)levels are a risk factor for PAD and the concentrations are influenced by proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9). PCSK9 regulates the recycling of the LDL receptors to the cell membrane surface. Only a limited number of mostly small studies investigated the association between serum PCSK9 concentrations and PAD of different definition, which revealed contrasting results. METHODS Serum PCSK9, lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] and other lipoprotein concentrations were measured in male participants of the CAVASIC study, a case-control study of 248 patients with intermittent claudication and 251 age and diabetes-matched controls. RESULTS PAD patients had significantly higher PCSK9 concentrations when compared to controls (250 ± 77 vs. 222 ± 68 ng/mL, p < 0.001). Logistic regression analysis with adjustment for age revealed that an increase in PCSK9 concentrations of 100 ng/mL was associated with a 1.78-fold higher risk for PAD (95%CI 1.38-2.33, p = 1.43 × 10-5). The association attenuated, but was still significant when adjusting additionally for age, Lp(a)-corrected LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, high-sensitivity-CRP, statin treatment, hypertension, diabetes mellitus and smoking (OR = 1.49, 95%CI 1.03-2.18, p = 0.035). The strongest association was observed when both PCSK9 concentrations were above the median and Lp(a) concentrations were above 30 mg/dL (OR = 3.35, 95%CI 1.49-7.71, p = 0.0038). CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest an association of higher PCSK9 concentrations with PAD, which was independent of other lipid parameters and classical cardiovascular risk factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Azin Kheirkhah
- Institute of Genetic Epidemiology, Department of Genetics and Pharmacology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Claudia Lamina
- Institute of Genetic Epidemiology, Department of Genetics and Pharmacology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Barbara Rantner
- Department of Vascular Surgery, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Barbara Kollerits
- Institute of Genetic Epidemiology, Department of Genetics and Pharmacology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Marietta Stadler
- 3rd Medical Department of Metabolic Diseases and Nephrology, Hietzing Hospital, Vienna, Austria; Diabetes Research Group, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Johannes Pohlhammer
- Institute of Genetic Epidemiology, Department of Genetics and Pharmacology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria; Department of Internal Medicine, Konventhospital Barmherzige Brueder Linz, Linz, Austria
| | - Peter Klein-Weigel
- Clinic of Angiology, Center of Vascular Medicine, Ernst von Bergmann Klinikum, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Gustav Fraedrich
- Department of Vascular Surgery, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Florian Kronenberg
- Institute of Genetic Epidemiology, Department of Genetics and Pharmacology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria.
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Page T, Brunini F, Caparros JG, Kheirkhah A, Dudhiya F, Prendecki M, Mcadoo S, Pusey C. 210. THE CALPROTECTIN/RAGE/ TLR4 AXIS IN ANCA-ASSOCIATED VASCULITIS. Rheumatology (Oxford) 2019. [DOI: 10.1093/rheumatology/kez061.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Stephen Mcadoo
- Imperial College NHS Trust Hammersmith Hospital Campus London, United Kingdom
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Qazi Y, Kheirkhah A, Blackie C, Cruzat A, Trinidad M, Williams C, Korb DR, Hamrah P. In vivo detection of clinically non-apparent ocular surface inflammation in patients with meibomian gland dysfunction-associated refractory dry eye symptoms: a pilot study. Eye (Lond) 2015; 29:1099-110. [PMID: 26088680 DOI: 10.1038/eye.2015.103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2014] [Accepted: 05/13/2015] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE The utility of in vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM) in the investigation of palpebral conjunctival and corneal inflammation in patients with meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD)-associated refractory dry eye symptoms following gland expression, despite objective clinical improvement. METHODS A retrospective, observational pilot study was conducted evaluating five patients with MGD-associated refractory dry eye symptoms and three control groups: symptomatic untreated MGD patients (n=3), treatment-responsive MGD patients with improved symptoms (n=3) and asymptomatic healthy normals (n=11). Ocular surface disease index (OSDI) scores, tear break-up time (TBUT), the number of meibomian glands yielding liquid secretion (MGYLS), palpebral conjunctival epithelial and substantia propria immune cell (EIC, SIC), and corneal dendritic cell (DC) densities were measured. RESULTS Despite clinical improvement (TBUT: 6.4±1.2 s to 10.1±2.1 s, P=0.03; MGYLS: 3.5±0.8 glands to 7.0±1.1 glands, P=0.13) and a normal clinical examination post treatment, MGD patients remained symptomatic. IVCM revealed increased immune cells in the palpebral conjunctiva (refractory MGD EIC=592.6±110.1 cells/mm2 untreated MGD EIC=522.6±104.7 cells/mm2, P=0.69; responsive MGD EIC=194.9±119.4 cells/mm2, P<0.01; normals EIC=123.7±19.2 cells/mm2, P< 0.001), but not the cornea (refractory MGD DC=60.9±28.3 cells/mm2; normals DC=25.9±6.3 cells/mm2; P=0.43). EIC did not correlate with TBUT (Rs=-0.26, P=0.33). OSDI scores correlated with both EIC (Rs=0.76, P<0.001) and TBUT (Rs=-0.69, P<0.01) but not SIC. Intraglandular immune cells were also seen. CONCLUSION MGD-associated refractory symptoms and the symptom-sign disparity may be explained by clinically non-apparent, active inflammation of the palpebral conjunctiva as detected by IVCM. These patients may benefit from anti-inflammatory therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Y Qazi
- Ocular Surface Imaging Center, Cornea Service, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - A Kheirkhah
- Ocular Surface Imaging Center, Cornea Service, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - A Cruzat
- Ocular Surface Imaging Center, Cornea Service, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - M Trinidad
- Ocular Surface Imaging Center, Cornea Service, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - C Williams
- Ocular Surface Imaging Center, Cornea Service, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - D R Korb
- Korb Associates, Boston, MA, USA
| | - P Hamrah
- Ocular Surface Imaging Center, Cornea Service, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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