scholarly journals Proof of concept: Molecular prediction of schizophrenia risk

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna R. Docherty ◽  
Arden Moscati ◽  
Daniel E. Adkins ◽  
Gemma T. Wallace ◽  
Guarav Kumar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Genetic Risk ◽  
Complement Component ◽  
Classification And Regression Tree ◽  
Risk Scores ◽  
Prodromal Symptom ◽  
Polygenic Risk Score ◽  
Molecular Pathways ◽  
Proof Of Concept ◽  
Polygenic Risk

Key PointsQuestionTo what extent do global polygenic risk scores (PRS), molecular pathway-specific PRS, complement component (C4) gene expression, MHC loci, sex, and ancestry jointly contribute to risk for schizophrenia-spectrum disorders (SZ)?FindingsGlobal polygenic risk for schizophrenia, sex, and their interaction most robustly predict risk in a classification and regression tree model, with highest risk groups having 50/50 chance of SZ.MeaningPsychometric risk indicators, such as prodromal symptom assessments, may be enhanced by the examination of genetic risk metrics. Preliminary results suggest that of genetic risk metrics, global polygenic information has the most potential to significantly aide in the prediction of SZ.AbstractImportanceSchizophrenia (SZ) has a complex, heterogeneous symptom presentation with limited established associations between biological markers and illness onset. Many (gene) molecular pathways (MPs) are enriched for SZ signal, but it is still unclear how these MPs, global PRS, major histocompatibility complex (MHC) complement component (C4) gene expression, and MHC loci might jointly contribute to SZ and its clinical presentation. It is also unclear whether sex or ancestry interacts with these metrics to increase risk in certain individuals.ObjectiveTo examine multiple genetic metrics, sex, and their interactions as possible predictors of SZ risk. Genetic information could aid in the clinical prediction of risk, but it is still unclear which genetic metrics are most promising, and how sex interacts with genetic risk metrics.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsTo examine molecular risk in a proof-of-concept study, we used the Wellcome Trust case-control cohort and classified cases as a function of 1) polygenic risk score (PRS) for both whole genome and for 345 implicated molecular pathways, 2) predicted C4 expression, 3) SZ-relevant MHC loci, 4) sex, and 5) ancestry.Main Outcomes and MeasuresPRSs, C4 expression, SZ-relevant MHC loci, sex, and ancestry as joint risk factors for SZ.ResultsRecursive partitioning yielded 15 molecular risk classes and retained as significant psychosis classifiers only sex, genome-wide SZ polygenic risk, and one MP PRS. Sex was the most robust classifier in a stepwise regression, and there was a significant interaction of sex with SZ PRS on case status, suggesting males have a lower polygenic risk threshold. By down-sampling case proportion to 1% and 1.4% population base rates in males and females, respectively, high-risk subtypes defined by this model had roughly a 52% odds of developing SZ (individuals with SZ PRS elevated by 2.6 SDs; incidence = 51.8%).Conclusions and RelevanceThis proof-of-concept suggests that global SZ PRS, sex, and their interaction are robust predictors of risk and that males have a lower PRS threshold for onset. Implications for the integration of these metrics with psychometrically-identified risk are discussed.

scholarly journals Polygenic risk modeling with latent trait-related genetic components

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew Aguirre ◽  
Yosuke Tanigawa ◽  
Guhan Ram Venkataraman ◽  
Rob Tibshirani ◽  
Trevor Hastie ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fat Mass ◽  
Genetic Risk ◽  
Complex Traits ◽  
Fat Free Mass ◽  
Risk Scores ◽  
Polygenic Risk Score ◽  
Genetic Associations ◽  
Polygenic Risk ◽  
Genetic Components ◽  
Mass Component

AbstractPolygenic risk models have led to significant advances in understanding complex diseases and their clinical presentation. While models like polygenic risk scores (PRS) can effectively predict outcomes, they do not generally account for disease subtypes or pathways which underlie within-trait diversity. Here, we introduce a latent factor model of genetic risk based on components from Decomposition of Genetic Associations (DeGAs), which we call the DeGAs polygenic risk score (dPRS). We compute DeGAs using genetic associations for 977 traits in the UK Biobank and find that dPRS performs comparably to standard PRS while offering greater interpretability. We show how to decompose an individual’s genetic risk for a trait across DeGAs components, highlighting specific results for body mass index (BMI), myocardial infarction (heart attack), and gout in 337,151 white British individuals, with replication in a further set of 25,486 non-British white individuals from the Biobank. We find that BMI polygenic risk factorizes into components relating to fat-free mass, fat mass, and overall health indicators like physical activity measures. Most individuals with high dPRS for BMI have strong contributions from both a fat mass component and a fat-free mass component, whereas a few ‘outlier’ individuals have strong contributions from only one of the two components. Overall, our method enables fine-scale interpretation of the drivers of genetic risk for complex traits.

scholarly journals Inclusion of Variants Discovered from Diverse Populations Improves Polygenic Risk Score Transferability

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Taylor B. Cavazos ◽  
John S. Witte
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Risk ◽  
African Ancestry ◽  
European Ancestry ◽  
Risk Scores ◽  
Polygenic Risk Score ◽  
Polygenic Risk ◽  
Genetic Risk Prediction ◽  
Causal Variants ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Relationship

ABSTRACTThe majority of polygenic risk scores (PRS) have been developed and optimized in individuals of European ancestry and may have limited generalizability across other ancestral populations. Understanding aspects of PRS that contribute to this issue and determining solutions is complicated by disease-specific genetic architecture and limited knowledge of sharing of causal variants and effect sizes across populations. Motivated by these challenges, we undertook a simulation study to assess the relationship between ancestry and the potential bias in PRS developed in European ancestry populations. Our simulations show that the magnitude of this bias increases with increasing divergence from European ancestry, and this is attributed to population differences in linkage disequilibrium and allele frequencies of European discovered variants, likely as a result of genetic drift. Importantly, we find that including into the PRS variants discovered in African ancestry individuals has the potential to achieve unbiased estimates of genetic risk across global populations and admixed individuals. We confirm our simulation findings in an analysis of HbA1c, asthma, and prostate cancer in the UK Biobank. Given the demonstrated improvement in PRS prediction accuracy, recruiting larger diverse cohorts will be crucial—and potentially even necessary—for enabling accurate and equitable genetic risk prediction across populations.

scholarly journals Imputed Gene Expression Risk Scores: A Functionally Informed Component of Polygenic Risk

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oliver Pain ◽  
Kylie P. Glanville ◽  
Saskia Hagenaars ◽  
Saskia Selzam ◽  
Anna Fürtjes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Genetic Risk ◽  
Elastic Net ◽  
Risk Scores ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Functional Genomic ◽  
Predictive Utility ◽  
Polygenic Risk ◽  
Regulated Gene Expression ◽  
Gene Expression Levels

AbstractBackgroundIntegration of functional genomic annotations when estimating polygenic risk scores (PRS) can provide insight into aetiology and improve risk prediction. This study explores the predictive utility of gene expression risk scores (GeRS), calculated using imputed gene expression and transcriptome-wide association study (TWAS) results.MethodsThe predictive utility of GeRS was evaluated using 12 neuropsychiatric and anthropometric outcomes measured in two target samples: UK Biobank and the Twins Early Development Study (TEDS). GeRS were calculated based on imputed gene expression levels and TWAS results, using 53 gene expression-genotype panels, termed SNP-weight sets, capturing expression across a range of tissues. We compare the predictive utility of elastic net models containing GeRS within and across SNP-weight sets, and models containing both GeRS and PRS. We estimate the proportion of SNP-based heritability attributable to cis-regulated gene expression.ResultsGeRS significantly predicted a range of outcomes, with elastic net models combining GeRS across SNP-weight sets improving prediction. GeRS were less predictive than PRS, but models combining GeRS and PRS improved prediction for several outcomes, with relative improvements ranging from 0.3% for Height (p=0.023) to 4% for Rheumatoid Arthritis (p=5.9×10-8). The proportion of SNP-based heritability attributable to cis-regulated expression was modest for most outcomes, even when restricting GeRS to colocalised genes.ConclusionGeRS represent a component of PRS and could be useful for functional stratification of genetic risk. Only in specific circumstances can GeRS substantially improve prediction over PRS alone. Future research considering functional genomic annotations when estimating genetic risk is warranted.

scholarly journals Imputed gene expression risk scores: a functionally informed component of polygenic risk

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oliver Pain ◽  
Kylie P Glanville ◽  
Saskia Hagenaars ◽  
Saskia Selzam ◽  
Anna Fürtjes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Genetic Risk ◽  
Elastic Net ◽  
Risk Scores ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Functional Genomic ◽  
Predictive Utility ◽  
Polygenic Risk ◽  
Regulated Gene Expression ◽  
Gene Expression Levels

Abstract Integration of functional genomic annotations when estimating polygenic risk scores (PRS) can provide insight into aetiology and improve risk prediction. This study explores the predictive utility of gene expression risk scores (GeRS), calculated using imputed gene expression and transcriptome-wide association study (TWAS) results. The predictive utility of GeRS was evaluated using 12 neuropsychiatric and anthropometric outcomes measured in two target samples: UK Biobank and the Twins Early Development Study. GeRS were calculated based on imputed gene expression levels and TWAS results, using 53 gene expression–genotype panels, termed single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)-weight sets, capturing expression across a range of tissues. We compare the predictive utility of elastic net models containing GeRS within and across SNP-weight sets, and models containing both GeRS and PRS. We estimate the proportion of SNP-based heritability attributable to cis-regulated gene expression. GeRS significantly predicted a range of outcomes, with elastic net models combining GeRS across SNP-weight sets improving prediction. GeRS were less predictive than PRS, but models combining GeRS and PRS improved prediction for several outcomes, with relative improvements ranging from 0.3% for height (P = 0.023) to 4% for rheumatoid arthritis (P = 5.9 × 10−8). The proportion of SNP-based heritability attributable to cis-regulated expression was modest for most outcomes, even when restricting GeRS to colocalized genes. GeRS represent a component of PRS and could be useful for functional stratification of genetic risk. Only in specific circumstances can GeRS substantially improve prediction over PRS alone. Future research considering functional genomic annotations when estimating genetic risk is warranted.

scholarly journals The Polygenic Risk Score Knowledge Base: A Centralized Online Repository for Calculating and Contextualizing Polygenic Risk Scores

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Madeline Page ◽  
Elizabeth Vance ◽  
Matthew Cloward ◽  
Ed Ringger ◽  
Louisa Dayton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Base ◽  
Risk Score ◽  
Genetic Risk ◽  
Data Availability ◽  
Risk Scores ◽  
Polygenic Risk Score ◽  
Analysis Tool ◽  
Web Interface ◽  
Polygenic Risk ◽  
Gwa Studies

Abstract Introduction: Genome-wide association (GWA) studies identify correlation between genetic variants and phenotypes. GWA findings can be used to calculate polygenic risk scores, which represent the aggregate genetic risk across all associated loci. Methods: We developed a centralized polygenic risk score calculator containing over 2,300 GWA studies from the NHGRI-EBI GWAS Catalog. Polygenic risk scores are calculated from user-uploaded data using various user-defined parameters across any disease(s) or studies. Results: The Polygenic Risk Score Knowledge Base (https://prs.byu.edu) and command-line interface facilitate user-specific polygenic risk score calculations. We report study-specific polygenic risk scores across the U.K. Biobank, 1000 Genomes, and the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) and identify potentially confounding genetic risk factors in ADNI.Discussion: We introduce the first streamlined analysis tool and web interface to calculate and contextualize polygenic risk scores across various studies. We anticipate that the PRSKB will facilitate a wider adaptation and innovative use of polygenic risk scores in disease research. Data Availability: This project is documented online at https://polyriskscore.readthedocs.io/en/latest/, and all programs are publicly available at https://github.com/kauwelab/PolyRiskScore. A web interface is also available at https://prs.byu.edu/.

scholarly journals Pathway-specific Polygenic Risk Scores (PRS) identify OSA-related pathways differentially moderating genetic susceptibility to CAD

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew O Goodman ◽  
Brian E Cade ◽  
Neomi Shah ◽  
Tianyi Huang ◽  
Hassan S Dashti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Risk ◽  
Genome Wide Association Study ◽  
Risk Scores ◽  
Molecular Pathways ◽  
Environment Interaction ◽  
Dependent Manner ◽  
Polygenic Risk ◽  
Genome Wide ◽  
Obstructive Sleep ◽  
Cad Risk

Background: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and its features, such as chronic intermittent hypoxia (IH), may differentially affect specific molecular pathways and processes in the pathogenesis of coronary artery disease (CAD) and influence the subsequent risk and severity of CAD events. In particular, competing adverse (e.g. inflammatory) and protective (e.g. increased coronary collateral blood flow) mechanisms may operate, but remain poorly understood. We hypothesize that common genetic variation in selected molecular pathways influences the likelihood of CAD events differently in individuals with and without OSA, in a pathway-dependent manner. Methods: We selected a cross-sectional sample of 471,877 participants from the UK Biobank, among whom we ascertained 4,974 to have OSA, 25,988 to have CAD, and 711 to have both. We calculated pathway-specific polygenic risk scores (PS-PRS) for CAD, based on 6.6 million common variants evaluated in the CARDIoGRAMplusC4D genome-wide association study (GWAS), annotated to specific genes and pathways using functional genomics databases. Based on evidence of involvement with IH and CAD, we tested PS-PRS for the HIF-1, VEGF, NFkB and TNF signaling pathways. Results: In a multivariable-adjusted logistic generalized additive model, elevated PS-PRSs for the KEGG VEGF pathway (39 genes) associated with protection for CAD in OSA (interaction odds ratio 0.86, p = 6E-04). By contrast, the genome-wide CAD PRS did not show evidence of statistical interaction with OSA. Conclusions: We find evidence that pathway-specific genetic risk of CAD differs between individuals with and without OSA in a qualitatively pathway-dependent manner, consistent with the previously studied phenomena whereby features of OSA may have both positive and negative effects on CAD. These results provide evidence that gene-by-environment interaction influences CAD risk in certain pathways among people with OSA, an effect that is not well-captured by the genome-wide PRS. These results can be followed up to study how OSA interacts with genetic risk at the molecular level, and potentially to personalize OSA treatment and reduce CAD risk according to individual pathway-specific genetic risk profiles.

Symptom dimensions of major depression in a large community-based cohort

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Michael Wainberg ◽  
Peter Zhukovsky ◽  
Sean L. Hill ◽  
Daniel Felsky ◽  
Aristotle Voineskos ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Major Depression ◽  
Risk Scores ◽  
Polygenic Risk Score ◽  
Psychiatric Diagnoses ◽  
Uk Biobank ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Symptom Dimensions ◽  
Polygenic Risk ◽  
Large Community

Abstract Background Our understanding of major depression is complicated by substantial heterogeneity in disease presentation, which can be disentangled by data-driven analyses of depressive symptom dimensions. We aimed to determine the clinical portrait of such symptom dimensions among individuals in the community. Methods This cross-sectional study consisted of 25 261 self-reported White UK Biobank participants with major depression. Nine questions from the UK Biobank Mental Health Questionnaire encompassing depressive symptoms were decomposed into underlying factors or ‘symptom dimensions’ via factor analysis, which were then tested for association with psychiatric diagnoses and polygenic risk scores for major depressive disorder (MDD), bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Replication was performed among 655 self-reported non-White participants, across sexes, and among 7190 individuals with an ICD-10 code for MDD from linked inpatient or primary care records. Results Four broad symptom dimensions were identified, encompassing negative cognition, functional impairment, insomnia and atypical symptoms. These dimensions replicated across ancestries, sexes and individuals with inpatient or primary care MDD diagnoses, and were also consistent among 43 090 self-reported White participants with undiagnosed self-reported depression. Every dimension was associated with increased risk of nearly every psychiatric diagnosis and polygenic risk score. However, while certain psychiatric diagnoses were disproportionately associated with specific symptom dimensions, the three polygenic risk scores did not show the same specificity of associations. Conclusions An analysis of questionnaire data from a large community-based cohort reveals four replicable symptom dimensions of depression with distinct clinical, but not genetic, correlates.

scholarly journals Polygenic Risk Score of Longevity Predicts Longer Survival Across an Age Continuum

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Niccolo’ Tesi ◽  
Sven J van der Lee ◽  
Marc Hulsman ◽  
Iris E Jansen ◽  
Najada Stringa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Cellular Response ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Association Studies ◽  
Risk Scores ◽  
Human Longevity ◽  
Polygenic Risk Score ◽  
Genome Wide Association Studies ◽  
Polygenic Risk ◽  
Age Related

Abstract Studying the genome of centenarians may give insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying extreme human longevity and the escape of age-related diseases. Here, we set out to construct polygenic risk scores (PRSs) for longevity and to investigate the functions of longevity-associated variants. Using a cohort of centenarians with maintained cognitive health (N = 343), a population-matched cohort of older adults from 5 cohorts (N = 2905), and summary statistics data from genome-wide association studies on parental longevity, we constructed a PRS including 330 variants that significantly discriminated between centenarians and older adults. This PRS was also associated with longer survival in an independent sample of younger individuals (p = .02), leading up to a 4-year difference in survival based on common genetic factors only. We show that this PRS was, in part, able to compensate for the deleterious effect of the APOE-ε4 allele. Using an integrative framework, we annotated the 330 variants included in this PRS by the genes they associate with. We find that they are enriched with genes associated with cellular differentiation, developmental processes, and cellular response to stress. Together, our results indicate that an extended human life span is, in part, the result of a constellation of variants each exerting small advantageous effects on aging-related biological mechanisms that maintain overall health and decrease the risk of age-related diseases.

scholarly journals Effects of polygenic risk for major mental disorders and cross-disorder on cortical complexity

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Simon Schmitt ◽  
Tina Meller ◽  
Frederike Stein ◽  
Katharina Brosch ◽  
Kai Ringwald ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bipolar Disorder ◽  
Mental Disorders ◽  
Cortical Thickness ◽  
Genetic Risk ◽  
Right Hemisphere ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Risk Scores ◽  
Grey Matter Volume ◽  
Polygenic Risk ◽  
Risk For Depression

Abstract Background MRI-derived cortical folding measures are an indicator of largely genetically driven early developmental processes. However, the effects of genetic risk for major mental disorders on early brain development are not well understood. Methods We extracted cortical complexity values from structural MRI data of 580 healthy participants using the CAT12 toolbox. Polygenic risk scores (PRS) for schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depression, and cross-disorder (incorporating cumulative genetic risk for depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, autism spectrum disorder, and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder) were computed and used in separate general linear models with cortical complexity as the regressand. In brain regions that showed a significant association between polygenic risk for mental disorders and cortical complexity, volume of interest (VOI)/region of interest (ROI) analyses were conducted to investigate additional changes in their volume and cortical thickness. Results The PRS for depression was associated with cortical complexity in the right orbitofrontal cortex (right hemisphere: p = 0.006). A subsequent VOI/ROI analysis showed no association between polygenic risk for depression and either grey matter volume or cortical thickness. We found no associations between cortical complexity and polygenic risk for either schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or psychiatric cross-disorder when correcting for multiple testing. Conclusions Changes in cortical complexity associated with polygenic risk for depression might facilitate well-established volume changes in orbitofrontal cortices in depression. Despite the absence of psychopathology, changed cortical complexity that parallels polygenic risk for depression might also change reward systems, which are also structurally affected in patients with depressive syndrome.

scholarly journals Identifying individuals with high risk of Alzheimer’s disease using polygenic risk scores

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ganna Leonenko ◽  
Emily Baker ◽  
Joshua Stevenson-Hoare ◽  
Annerieke Sierksma ◽  
Mark Fiers ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Risk ◽  
Risk Score ◽  
Genetic Risk ◽  
Prediction Accuracy ◽  
Genetic Risk Score ◽  
Low Risk ◽  
Risk Scores ◽  
Sample Mean ◽  
Polygenic Risk ◽  
Reliable Identification

AbstractPolygenic Risk Scores (PRS) for AD offer unique possibilities for reliable identification of individuals at high and low risk of AD. However, there is little agreement in the field as to what approach should be used for genetic risk score calculations, how to model the effect of APOE, what the optimal p-value threshold (pT) for SNP selection is and how to compare scores between studies and methods. We show that the best prediction accuracy is achieved with a model with two predictors (APOE and PRS excluding APOE region) with pT<0.1 for SNP selection. Prediction accuracy in a sample across different PRS approaches is similar, but individuals’ scores and their associated ranking differ. We show that standardising PRS against the population mean, as opposed to the sample mean, makes the individuals’ scores comparable between studies. Our work highlights the best strategies for polygenic profiling when assessing individuals for AD risk.

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