scholarly journals ERASE: Extended Randomization for assessment of annotation enrichment in ASE datasets

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karishma D’Sa ◽  
Regina H. Reynolds ◽  
Sebastian Guelfi ◽  
David Zhang ◽  
Sonia Garcia Ruiz ◽  
...  

AbstractGenome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified thousands of genetic variants associated with various human phenotypes and many of these loci are thought to act at a molecular level by regulating gene expression. Detection of allele specific expression (ASE), namely preferential usage of an allele at a transcribed locus, is an increasingly important means of studying the genetic regulation of gene expression. However, there are currently a paucity of tools available to link ASE sites with GWAS risk loci. Existing integration methods first use ASE sites to infer cis-acting expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) and then apply eQTL-based approaches. ERASE is a method that assesses the enrichment of risk loci amongst ASE sites directly. Furthermore, ERASE enables additional biological insights to be made through the addition of other SNP level annotations. ERASE is based on a randomization approach and controls for read depth, a significant confounder in ASE analyses. In this paper, we demonstrate that ERASE can efficiently detect the enrichment of eQTLs and risk loci within ASE data and that it remains sensitive even when used with underpowered GWAS datasets. Finally, using ERASE in combination with GWAS data for Parkinson’s disease and data on the splicing potential of individual SNPs, we provide evidence to suggest that risk loci for Parkinson’s disease are enriched amongst ASEs likely to affect splicing. Thus, we show that ERASE is an important new tool for the integration of ASE and GWAS data, capable of providing novel insights into the pathophysiology of complex diseases.

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Abigail L. Pfaff ◽  
Vivien J. Bubb ◽  
John P. Quinn ◽  
Sulev Koks

AbstractThe development of Parkinson’s disease (PD) involves a complex interaction of genetic and environmental factors. Genome-wide association studies using extensive single nucleotide polymorphism datasets have identified many loci involved in disease. However much of the heritability of Parkinson’s disease is still to be identified and the functional elements associated with the risk to be determined and understood. To investigate the component of PD that may involve complex genetic variants we characterised the hominid specific retrotransposon SINE-VNTR-Alus (SVAs) in the Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative cohort utilising whole genome sequencing. We identified 81 reference SVAs polymorphic for their presence/absence, seven of which were associated with the progression of the disease and with differential gene expression in whole blood RNA sequencing data. This study highlights the importance of addressing SVA variants and potentially other types of retrotransposons in PD genetics, furthermore, these SVA elements should be considered as regulatory domains that could play a role in disease progression.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angli Xue ◽  
Yang Wu ◽  
Zhihong Zhu ◽  
Futao Zhang ◽  
Kathryn E Kemper ◽  
...  

AbstractWe conducted a meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) with ∼16 million genotyped/imputed genetic variants in 62,892 type 2 diabetes (T2D) cases and 596,424 controls of European ancestry. We identified 139 common and 4 rare (minor allele frequency < 0.01) variants associated with T2D, 42 of which (39 common and 3 rare variants) were independent of the known variants. Integration of the gene expression data from blood (n = 14,115 and 2,765) and other T2D-relevant tissues (n = up to 385) with the GWAS results identified 33 putative functional genes for T2D, three of which were targeted by approved drugs. A further integration of DNA methylation (n = 1,980) and epigenomic annotations data highlighted three putative T2D genes (CAMK1D, TP53INP1 and ATP5G1) with plausible regulatory mechanisms whereby a genetic variant exerts an effect on T2D through epigenetic regulation of gene expression. We further found evidence that the T2D-associated loci have been under purifying selection.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abigail L Pfaff ◽  
Vivien J. Bubb ◽  
John P. Quinn ◽  
Sulev Koks

Abstract Background: The development of Parkinson’s disease (PD) involves a complex interaction of genetic and environmental factors. The majority of studies investigating the genetic component of complex diseases, including PD, have focused on single nucleotide polymorphisms as this enables genome wide analysis of a large number of samples. Genome wide association studies have been crucial in identifying PD risk variants, however a large proportion of the heritability of PD remains to be identified. To investigate the component of PD that may involve complex genetic variants we characterised SINE-VNTR-Alus (SVAs), a retrotransposon known to affect gene expression, in the Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI) cohort.Results: Utilising whole genome sequencing from the PPMI cohort that consisted of 179 healthy controls, 371 individuals with PD and 58 individuals classified as SWEDD (scans without evidence of dopaminergic deficit) we genotyped SVAs in the reference genome for their presence or absence identifying 81 such SVAs. Seven of these SVAs were associated with progression of the disease, including four whose specific genotypes were linked to an increase in the gradient of dopaminergic loss when comparing the caudate to putamen from DaTscan imaging analysis. These seven SVAs also demonstrated regulatory properties as they were associated with differential gene expression in whole blood RNA sequencing data.Conclusion: This study highlights the importance of addressing variation of SVAs and potentially other types of retrotransposons in PD genetics, furthermore these SVA elements should be considered as regulatory domains that could play a role in disease progression.


Genes ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 1100
Author(s):  
Wen-Wen Cheng ◽  
Qiang Zhu ◽  
Hong-Yu Zhang

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified tens of genetic variants associated with Parkinson’s disease (PD). Nevertheless, the genes or DNA elements that affect traits through these genetic variations are usually undiscovered. This study was the first to combine meta-analysis GWAS data and expression data to identify PD risk genes. Four known genes, CRHR1, KANSL1, NSF and LRRC37A, and two new risk genes, STX4 and BST1, were identified. Among them, CRHR1 is a known drug target, indicating that hydrocortisone may become a potential drug for the treatment of PD. Furthermore, the potential pathogenesis of CRHR1 and LRRC37A was explored by applying DNA methylation (DNAm) data, indicating a pathogenesis whereby the effect of a genetic variant on PD is mediated by genetic regulation of transcription through DNAm. Overall, this research identified the risk genes and pathogenesis that affect PD through genetic variants, which has significance for the diagnosis and treatment of PD.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Margrete Langmyhr ◽  
Sandra Pilar Henriksen ◽  
Chiara Cappelletti ◽  
Wilma D. J. van de Berg ◽  
Lasse Pihlstrøm ◽  
...  

AbstractGenome-wide association studies have identified genetic variation in genomic loci associated with susceptibility to Parkinson’s disease (PD), the most common neurodegenerative movement disorder worldwide. We used allelic expression profiling of genes located within PD-associated loci to identify cis-regulatory variation affecting gene expression. DNA and RNA were extracted from post-mortem superior frontal gyrus tissue and whole blood samples from PD patients and controls. The relative allelic expression of transcribed SNPs in 12 GWAS risk genes was analysed by real-time qPCR. Allele-specific expression was identified for 9 out of 12 genes tested (GBA, TMEM175, RAB7L1, NUCKS1, MCCC1, BCKDK, ZNF646, LZTS3, and WDHD1) in brain tissue samples. Three genes (GPNMB, STK39 and SIPA1L2) did not show significant allele-specific effects. Allele-specific effects were confirmed in whole blood for three genes (BCKDK, LZTS3 and MCCC1), whereas two genes (RAB7L1 and NUCKS1) showed brain-specific allelic expression. Our study supports the hypothesis that changes to the cis-regulation of gene expression is a major mechanism behind a large proportion of genetic associations in PD. Interestingly, allele-specific expression was also observed for coding variants believed to be causal variants (GBA and TMEM175), indicating that splicing and other regulatory mechanisms may be involved in disease development.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Douglas P. Loesch ◽  
Andrea RVR Horimoto ◽  
Irem Sarihan ◽  
Miguel Inca-Martinez ◽  
Emily Mason ◽  
...  

Background: Large-scale Parkinson's disease (PD) genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and meta-analyses have, until recently, only been conducted on subjects with European-ancestry. Consequently, polygenic risk scores (PRS) constructed using PD GWAS data are likely to be less predictive when applied to non-European cohorts. Methods: Using GWAS data from Nalls et al. 2019, we constructed a PD PRS for a Latino PD cohort (LARGE-PD) and tested it for association with PD status. We validated the PRS performance through testing the PD PRS in an independent cohort of Latino PD patients and by repeating the PRS analysis in LARGE-PD with the addition of 440 external Peruvian controls. To explore the global distribution of PD PRS, we utilized 1000 Genomes Project (1KGP) and Peruvian Genome Project (PGP) data to estimate PD risk allele frequencies. We also tested SNCA haplotypes for association with PD risk using logistic regression in LARGE-PD and a European-ancestry PD cohort from the International Parkinson Disease Genomics Consortium (IPDGC). Results: The GWAS-significant PD PRS had an area under the receiver-operator curve (AUC) of 0.668 (95% CI: 0.640-0.695) and explained 2.8% of the phenotypic variance in LARGE-PD as determined via pseudo R2. The inclusion of external Peruvian data as controls mitigated this result, dropping the AUC 0.632 (95% CI: 0.607-0.657). In 1KGP Latinos, we found the PD PRS to exhibit a bias by ancestry. At the SNCA locus, haplotypes differ by ancestry. Ancestry-specific SNCA haplotypes are significantly associated with PD status in both LARGE-PD and the IPDGC cohort (p-value < 0.05). Apart from rs356182, these haplotypes share as little as 14% of their variants. Conclusion: The PD PRS has potential for PD risk prediction in Latinos, but variability caused by admixture patterns and bias in the PD PRS calculated using only European-ancestry data limits its utility. The inclusion of diverse subjects can help elucidate PD risk loci and improve risk prediction in non-European cohorts. In the case of the SNCA locus, by leveraging a Latino cohort, we provide orthogonal evidence for rs356182 causality.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dongbing Lai ◽  
Babak Alipanahi ◽  
Pierre Fontanillas ◽  
Tae‐Hwi Schwantes‐An ◽  
Jan Aasly ◽  
...  

Genes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 772
Author(s):  
João Botelho ◽  
Vanessa Machado ◽  
José João Mendes ◽  
Paulo Mascarenhas

The latest evidence revealed a possible association between periodontitis and Parkinson’s disease (PD). We explored the causal relationship of this bidirectional association through two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) in European ancestry populations. To this end, we used openly accessible data of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) on periodontitis and PD. As instrumental variables for periodontitis, seventeen single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from a GWAS of periodontitis (1817 periodontitis cases vs. 2215 controls) and eight non-overlapping SNPs of periodontitis from an additional GWAS for validation purposes. Instrumental variables to explore for the reverse causation included forty-five SNPs from a GWAS of PD (20,184 cases and 397,324 controls). Multiple approaches of MR were carried-out. There was no evidence of genetic liability of periodontitis being associated with a higher risk of PD (B = −0.0003, Standard Error [SE] 0.0003, p = 0.26). The eight independent SNPs (B = −0.0000, SE 0.0001, p = 0.99) validated this outcome. We also found no association of genetically primed PD towards periodontitis (B = −0.0001, SE 0.0001, p = 0.19). These MR study findings do not support a bidirectional causal genetic liability between periodontitis and PD. Further GWAS studies are needed to confirm the consistency of these results.


Author(s):  
Melissa Conti Mazza ◽  
Victoria Nguyen ◽  
Alexandra Beilina ◽  
Jinhui Ding ◽  
Mark R. Cookson

AbstractCoding mutations in the LRRK2 gene, encoding for a large protein kinase, have been shown to cause familial Parkinson’s disease (PD). The immediate biological consequence of LRRK2 mutations is to increase kinase activity, leading to the suggestion that inhibition of this enzyme might be useful therapeutically to slow disease progression. Genome-wide association studies have identified the chromosomal loci around LRRK2 and one of its proposed substrates, RAB29, as contributors towards the lifetime risk of sporadic PD. Considering the evidence for interactions between LRRK2 and RAB29 on the genetic and protein levels, here we generated a double knockout mouse model and determined whether there are any consequences on brain function with aging. From a battery of motor and non-motor behavioral tests, we noted only that 18-24 month Rab29-/- and double (Lrrk2-/-/Rab29-/-) knockout mice had diminished locomotor behavior in open field compared to wildtype mice. However, no genotype differences were seen in number of substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc) dopamine neurons or in tyrosine hydroxylase levels in the SNc and striatum, which might reflect a PD-like pathology. These results suggest that depletion of both Lrrk2 and Rab29 is tolerated, at least in mice, and support that this pathway might be able to be safely targeted for therapeutics in humans.Significance statementGenetic variation in LRRK2 that result in elevated kinase activity can cause Parkinson’s disease (PD), suggesting LRRK2 inhibition as a therapeutic strategy. RAB29, a substrate of LRRK2, has also been associated with increased PD risk. Evidence exists for an interactive relationship between LRRK2 and RAB29. Mouse models lacking either LRRK2 or RAB29 do not show brain pathologies. We hypothesized that the loss of both targets would result in additive effects across in vivo and post-mortem assessments in aging mice. We found that loss of both LRRK2 and RAB29 did not result in significant behavioral deficits or dopamine neuron loss. This evidence suggests that chronic inhibition of this pathway should be tolerated clinically.


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