0000000000217416
AUTHOR
Uwe Völker
KCND3 is a novel susceptibility locus for early repolarization
AbstractThe presence of an early repolarization pattern (ERP) on the surface electrocardiogram (ECG) is associated with risk of ventricular fibrillation and sudden cardiac death. Family studies have shown that ERP is a highly heritable trait but molecular genetic determinants are unknown. We assessed the ERP in 12-lead ECGs of 39,456 individuals and conducted a two-stage meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies (GWAS). In the discovery phase, we included 2,181 cases and 23,641 controls from eight European ancestry studies and identified 19 genome-wide significant (p<5E-8) variants in the KCND3 (potassium voltage gated channel subfamily D member 3) gene with a p-value of 4.6E-10. …
Genome wide association analysis in dilated cardiomyopathy reveals two new key players in systolic heart failure on chromosome 3p25.1 and 22q11.23
SummaryWe present the results of the largest genome wide association study (GWAS) performed so far in dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), a leading cause of systolic heart failure and cardiovascular death, with 2,719 cases and 4,440 controls in the discovery population. We identified and replicated two new DCM-associated loci, one on chromosome 3p25.1 (lead SNP rs62232870, p = 8.7 × 10−11 and 7.7 × 10−4 in the discovery and replication step, respectively) and the second on chromosome 22q11.23 (lead SNP rs7284877, p = 3.3 × 10−8 and 1.4 × 10−3 in the discovery and replication step, respectively) while confirming two previously identified DCM loci on chromosome 10 and 1, BAG3 and HSPB7. The genetic…
Comparison of HapMap and 1000 genomes reference panels in a large-scale genome-wide association study
An increasing number of genome-wide association (GWA) studies are now using the higher resolution 1000 Genomes Project reference panel (1000G) for imputation, with the expectation that 1000G imputation will lead to the discovery of additional associated loci when compared to HapMap imputation. In order to assess the improvement of 1000G over HapMap imputation in identifying associated loci, we compared the results of GWA studies of circulating fibrinogen based on the two reference panels. Using both HapMap and 1000G imputation we performed a meta-analysis of 22 studies comprising the same 91,953 individuals. We identified six additional signals using 1000G imputation, while 29 loci were ass…
Genetic analyses of the QT interval and its components in over 250K individuals identifies new loci and pathways affecting ventricular depolarization and repolarization
AbstractThe QT interval is an electrocardiographic measure representing the sum of ventricular depolarization (QRS duration) and repolarization (JT interval). Abnormalities of the QT interval are associated with potentially fatal ventricular arrhythmia. We conducted genome-wide multi-ancestry analyses in >250,000 individuals and identified 177, 156 and 121 independent loci for QT, JT and QRS, respectively, including a male-specific X-chromosome locus. Using gene-based rare-variant methods, we identified associations with Mendelian disease genes. Enrichments were observed in established pathways for QT and JT, with new genes indicated in insulin-receptor signalling and cardiac energy meta…
Multi-ancestry genome-wide gene-sleep interactions identify novel loci for blood pressure.
AbstractLong and short sleep duration are associated with elevated blood pressure (BP), possibly through effects on molecular pathways that influence neuroendocrine and vascular systems. To gain new insights into the genetic basis of sleep-related BP variation, we performed genome-wide gene by short or long sleep duration interaction analyses on four BP traits (systolic BP, diastolic BP, mean arterial pressure, and pulse pressure) across five ancestry groups using 1 degree of freedom (1df) interaction and 2df joint tests. Primary multi-ancestry analyses in 62,969 individuals in stage 1 identified 3 novel loci that were replicated in an additional 59,296 individuals in stage 2, including rs7…
Genetic variants associated with cardiac structure and function: a meta-analysis and replication of genome-wide association data.
Context Echocardiographic measures of left ventricular (LV) structure and function are heritable phenotypes of cardiovascular disease. Objective To identify common genetic variants associated with cardiac structure and function by conducting a meta-analysis of genome-wide association data in 5 population-based cohort studies (stage 1) with replication (stage 2) in 2 other community-based samples. Design, Setting, and Participants Within each of 5 community-based cohorts comprising the EchoGen consortium (stage 1; n = 12 612 individuals of European ancestry; 55% women, aged 26-95 years; examinations between 1978-2008), we estimated the association between approximately 2.5 million single-nuc…
Fumarate dependent protein composition under aerobic and anaerobic growth conditions in Escherichia coli
Abstract In the absence of sugars, C4-dicarboxylates (C4DC) like fumarate represent important substrates for growth of Escherichia coli. Aerobically, C4DCs are oxidized to CO2 whereas anaerobically, C4DCs are used for fumarate respiration. In order to determine the impact of fumarate under aerobic and anaerobic conditions, proteomes of E. coli W3110 grown aerobically or anaerobically with fumarate and/or the non-C4DC substrate glycerol were comparatively profiled by nanoLC-MS/MS. Membrane enrichment allowed sensitive detection of membrane proteins. A total of 1657 proteins of which 646 and 374 were assigned to the cytosol or membrane, respectively, were covered. Presence of fumarate trigger…
A genomewide association study of smoking relapse in four European population-based samples.
OBJECTIVES: Genomewide association studies (GWAS) have identified clear evidence of genetic markers for nicotine dependence. Other smoking phenotypes have been tested, but the results are less consistent. The tendency to relapse versus the ability to maintain long-term abstinence has received little attention in genetic studies; thus, our aim was to provide a better biological understanding of this phenotype through the identification of genetic loci associated with smoking relapse. METHODS: We carried out a GWAS on data from two European population-based collections, including a total of 835 cases (relapsers) and 990 controls (abstainers). Top-ranked findings from the discovery phase were …
Genome-wide association meta-analysis of PR interval identifies 47 novel loci associated with atrial and atrioventricular electrical activity
ABSTRACTElectrocardiographic PR interval measures atrial and atrioventricular depolarization and conduction, and abnormal PR interval is a risk factor for atrial fibrillation and heart block. We performed a genome-wide association study in over 92,000 individuals of European descent and identified 44 loci associated with PR interval (34 novel). Examination of the 44 loci revealed known and novel biological processes involved in cardiac atrial electrical activity, and genes in these loci were highly over-represented in several cardiac disease processes. Nearly half of the 61 independent index variants in the 44 loci were associated with atrial or blood transcript expression levels, or were i…
KCND3 potassium channel gene variant confers susceptibility to electrocardiographic early repolarization pattern
BACKGROUND: The presence of an early repolarization pattern (ERP) on the surface ECG is associated with risk of ventricular fibrillation and sudden cardiac death. Family studies have shown that ERP is a highly heritable trait, but molecular genetic determinants are unknown. METHODS: To identify genetic susceptibility loci for ERP, we performed a GWAS and meta-analysis in 2,181 cases and 23,641 controls of European ancestry. RESULTS: We identified a genome-wide significant (P < 5 × 10(–8)) locus in the potassium voltage-gated channel subfamily D member 3 (KCND3) gene that was successfully replicated in additional 1,124 cases and 12,510 controls. A subsequent joint meta-analysis of the discov…
Association Between Chromosome 9p21 Variants and the Ankle-Brachial Index Identified by a Meta-Analysis of 21 Genome-Wide Association Studies
Background— Genetic determinants of peripheral arterial disease (PAD) remain largely unknown. To identify genetic variants associated with the ankle-brachial index (ABI), a noninvasive measure of PAD, we conducted a meta-analysis of genome-wide association study data from 21 population-based cohorts. Methods and Results— Continuous ABI and PAD (ABI ≤0.9) phenotypes adjusted for age and sex were examined. Each study conducted genotyping and imputed data to the ≈2.5 million single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in HapMap. Linear and logistic regression models were used to test each SNP for association with ABI and PAD using additive genetic models. Study-specific data were combined using fi…
Common Genetic Variation in Relation to Brachial Vascular Dimensions and Flow-Mediated Vasodilation
Common Genetic Variation in Relation to Brachial Vascular Dimensions and Flow-Mediated Vasodilation
A meta-analysis of 120 246 individuals identifies 18 new loci for fibrinogen concentration
Genome-wide association studies have previously identified 23 genetic loci associated with circulating fibrinogen concentration. These studies used HapMap imputation and did not examine the X-chromosome. 1000 Genomes imputation provides better coverage of uncommon variants, and includes indels. We conducted a genome-wide association analysis of 34 studies imputed to the 1000 Genomes Project reference panel and including similar to 120 000 participants of European ancestry (95 806 participants with data on the X-chromosome). Approximately 10.7 million single-nucleotide polymorphisms and 1.2 million indels were examined. We identified 41 genome-wide significant fibrinogen loci ; of which, 18 …
Genetic determinants of heel bone properties: genome-wide association meta-analysis and replication in the GEFOS/GENOMOS consortium
Quantitative ultrasound of the heel captures heel bone properties that independently predict fracture risk and, with bone mineral density (BMD) assessed by X-ray (DXA), may be convenient alternatives for evaluating osteoporosis and fracture risk. We performed a meta-analysis of genome-wide association (GWA) studies to assess the genetic determinants of heel broadband ultrasound attenuation (BUA; n = 14 260), velocity of sound (VOS; n = 15 514) and BMD (n = 4566) in 13 discovery cohorts. Independent replication involved seven cohorts with GWA data (in silico n = 11 452) and new genotyping in 15 cohorts (de novo n = 24 902). In combined random effects, meta-analysis of the discovery and repli…
Transcriptome-Wide Analysis Identifies Novel Associations With Blood Pressure.
Hypertension represents a major cardiovascular risk factor. The pathophysiology of increased blood pressure (BP) is not yet completely understood. Transcriptome profiling offers possibilities to uncover genetics effects on BP. Based on 2 populations including 2549 individuals, a meta-analyses of monocytic transcriptome-wide profiles were performed to identify transcripts associated with BP. Replication was performed in 2 independent studies of whole-blood transcriptome data including 1990 individuals. For identified candidate genes, a direct link between long-term changes in BP and gene expression over time and by treatment with BP-lowering therapy was assessed. The predictive value of pro…
Cellular Concentrations of the Transporters DctA and DcuB and the Sensor DcuS of Escherichia coli and the Contributions of Free and Complexed DcuS to Transcriptional Regulation by DcuR.
ABSTRACT In Escherichia coli , the catabolism of C 4 -dicarboxylates is regulated by the DcuS-DcuR two-component system. The functional state of the sensor kinase DcuS is controlled by C 4 -dicarboxylates (like fumarate) and complexation with the C 4 -dicarboxylate transporters DctA and DcuB, respectively. Free DcuS (DcuS F ) is known to be constantly active even in the absence of fumarate, whereas the DcuB-DcuS and DctA-DcuS complexes require fumarate for activation. To elucidate the impact of the transporters on the functional state of DcuS and the concentrations of DcuS F and DcuB-DcuS (or DctA-DcuS), the absolute levels of DcuS, DcuB, and DctA were determined in aerobically or anaerobic…
Genome-wide Association Studies Identify Genetic Loci Associated with Albuminuria in Diabetes
Elevated concentrations of albumin in the urine, albuminuria, are a hallmark of diabetic kidney disease and are associated with an increased risk for end-stage renal disease and cardiovascular events. To gain insight into the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying albuminuria, we conducted meta-analyses of genome-wide association studies and independent replication in up to 5,825 individuals of European ancestry with diabetes and up to 46,061 without diabetes, followed by functional studies. Known associations of variants in CUBN, encoding cubilin, with the urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR) were confirmed in the overall sample (P = 2.4 × 10−10). Gene-by-diabetes interactions were…
Genome-wide association analysis in dilated cardiomyopathy reveals two new players in systolic heart failure on chromosomes 3p25.1 and 22q11.23
Abstract Aims Our objective was to better understand the genetic bases of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), a leading cause of systolic heart failure. Methods and results We conducted the largest genome-wide association study performed so far in DCM, with 2719 cases and 4440 controls in the discovery population. We identified and replicated two new DCM-associated loci on chromosome 3p25.1 [lead single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs62232870, P = 8.7 × 10−11 and 7.7 × 10−4 in the discovery and replication steps, respectively] and chromosome 22q11.23 (lead SNP rs7284877, P = 3.3 × 10−8 and 1.4 × 10−3 in the discovery and replication steps, respectively), while confirming two previously identif…
Large-scale genome-wide analysis identifies genetic variants associated with cardiac structure and function
BACKGROUND: Understanding the genetic architecture of cardiac structure and function may help to prevent and treat heart disease. This investigation sought to identify common genetic variations associated with inter-individual variability in cardiac structure and function. METHODS: A GWAS meta-analysis of echocardiographic traits was performed, including 46,533 individuals from 30 studies (EchoGen consortium). The analysis included 16 traits of left ventricular (LV) structure, and systolic and diastolic function. RESULTS: The discovery analysis included 21 cohorts for structural and systolic function traits (n = 32,212) and 17 cohorts for diastolic function traits (n = 21,852). Replication …
Genome-Wide Association Study for Incident Myocardial Infarction and Coronary Heart Disease in Prospective Cohort Studies: The CHARGE Consortium
Background Data are limited on genome-wide association studies (GWAS) for incident coronary heart disease (CHD). Moreover, it is not known whether genetic variants identified to date also associate with risk of CHD in a prospective setting. Methods We performed a two-stage GWAS analysis of incident myocardial infarction (MI) and CHD in a total of 64,297 individuals (including 3898 MI cases, 5465 CHD cases). SNPs that passed an arbitrary threshold of 5×10−6 in Stage I were taken to Stage II for further discovery. Furthermore, in an analysis of prognosis, we studied whether known SNPs from former GWAS were associated with total mortality in individuals who experienced MI during follow-up. Res…
Genetic associations at 53 loci highlight cell types and biological pathways relevant for kidney function
Reduced glomerular filtration rate defines chronic kidney disease and is associated with cardiovascular and all-cause mortality. We conducted a meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies for estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), combining data across 133,413 individuals with replication in up to 42,166 individuals. We identify 24 new and confirm 29 previously identified loci. Of these 53 loci, 19 associate with eGFR among individuals with diabetes. Using bioinformatics, we show that identified genes at eGFR loci are enriched for expression in kidney tissues and in pathways relevant for kidney development and transmembrane transporter activity, kidney structure, and regulation o…
Analyzing Illumina Gene Expression Microarray Data from Different Tissues: Methodological Aspects of Data Analysis in the MetaXpress Consortium
Microarray profiling of gene expression is widely applied in molecular biology and functional genomics. Experimental and technical variations make meta-analysis of different studies challenging. In a total of 3358 samples, all from German population-based cohorts, we investigated the effect of data preprocessing and the variability due to sample processing in whole blood cell and blood monocyte gene expression data, measured on the Illumina HumanHT-12 v3 BeadChip array. Gene expression signal intensities were similar after applying the log(2) or the variance-stabilizing transformation. In all cohorts, the first principal component (PC) explained more than 95% of the total variation. Technic…
New loci associated with kidney function and chronic kidney disease
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a significant public health problem, and recent genetic studies have identified common CKD susceptibility variants. The CKDGen consortium performed a meta-analysis of genome-wide association data in 67,093 individuals of European ancestry from 20 predominantly population-based studies in order to identify new susceptibility loci for reduced renal function as estimated by serum creatinine (eGFRcrea), serum cystatin c (eGFRcys) and CKD (eGFRcrea 60 ml/min/1.73 m 2; n = 5,807 individuals with CKD (cases)). Follow-up of the 23 new genome-wide-significant loci (P 5 × 10 8) in 22,982 replication samples identified 13 new loci affecting renal function and CKD (in or…
Insights in ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia
Abstract SARS-CoV-2 vaccine ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 (AstraZeneca) causes a thromboembolic complication termed vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT). Using biophysical techniques, mouse models, and analysis of VITT patient samples, we identified determinants of this vaccine-induced adverse reaction. Super-resolution microscopy visualized vaccine components forming antigenic complexes with platelet factor 4 (PF4) on platelet surfaces to which anti-PF4 antibodies obtained from VITT patients bound. PF4/vaccine complex formation was charge-driven and increased by addition of DNA. Proteomics identified substantial amounts of virus production-derived T-REx HEK293 proteins in the ethyle…
Metabolic Adaptation and Protein Complexes in Prokaryotes.
Protein complexes are classified and have been charted in several large-scale screening studies in prokaryotes. These complexes are organized in a factory-like fashion to optimize protein production and metabolism. Central components are conserved between different prokaryotes; major complexes involve carbohydrate, amino acid, fatty acid and nucleotide metabolism. Metabolic adaptation changes protein complexes according to environmental conditions. Protein modification depends on specific modifying enzymes. Proteins such as trigger enzymes display condition-dependent adaptation to different functions by participating in several complexes. Several bacterial pathogens adapt rapidly to intrace…