scholarly journals Regulatory Noncoding and Predicted Pathogenic Coding Variants of CCR5 Predispose to Severe COVID-19

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (10) ◽  
pp. 5372
Author(s):  
Sueva Cantalupo ◽  
Vito Alessandro Lasorsa ◽  
Roberta Russo ◽  
Immacolata Andolfo ◽  
Giuseppe D’Alterio ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Association Studies ◽  
Biological Role ◽  
Genome Wide Association Studies ◽  
Nucleotide Polymorphisms ◽  
Ccr5 Gene ◽  
Significance Level ◽  
Risk Alleles ◽  
Whole Exome ◽  
Rare Genetic Variants ◽  
Coding Variants

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) found locus 3p21.31 associated with severe COVID-19. CCR5 resides at the same locus and, given its known biological role in other infection diseases, we investigated if common noncoding and rare coding variants, affecting CCR5, can predispose to severe COVID-19. We combined single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that met the suggestive significance level (P ≤ 1 × 10−5) at the 3p21.31 locus in public GWAS datasets (6406 COVID-19 hospitalized patients and 902,088 controls) with gene expression data from 208 lung tissues, Hi-C, and Chip-seq data. Through whole exome sequencing (WES), we explored rare coding variants in 147 severe COVID-19 patients. We identified three SNPs (rs9845542, rs12639314, and rs35951367) associated with severe COVID-19 whose risk alleles correlated with low CCR5 expression in lung tissues. The rs35951367 resided in a CTFC binding site that interacts with CCR5 gene in lung tissues and was confirmed to be associated with severe COVID-19 in two independent datasets. We also identified a rare coding variant (rs34418657) associated with the risk of developing severe COVID-19. Our results suggest a biological role of CCR5 in the progression of COVID-19 as common and rare genetic variants can increase the risk of developing severe COVID-19 by affecting the functions of CCR5.

Are there monogenic hereditary forms of bladder cancer or only genetic susceptibilities?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tarek Souaid ◽  
Joya-Rita Hindy ◽  
Ernest Diab ◽  
Hampig Raphael Kourie
Keyword(s):  
Bladder Cancer ◽  
Association Studies ◽  
Genome Wide Association Studies ◽  
Nucleotide Polymorphisms ◽  
Significance Level ◽  
Dna Mismatch ◽  
Common Cancer ◽  
Genome Wide ◽  
Dna Mismatch Repair Genes ◽  
Mutyh Associated Polyposis

Bladder cancer (BC) is the most common cancer involving the urinary system and the ninth most common cancer worldwide. Tobacco smoking is the most important environmental risk factor of BC. Several single nucleotide polymorphisms have been validated by genome-wide association studies as genetic risk factors for BC. However, the identification of DNA mismatch-repair genes, including MSH2 in Lynch syndrome and MUTYH in MUTYH-associated polyposis, raises the possibility of monogenic hereditary forms of BC. Moreover, other genetic mutations may play a key role in familial and hereditary transmissions of BC. Therefore, the aim of this review is to focus on the major hereditary syndromes involved in the development of BC and to report BC genetic susceptibilities established with genome-wide significance level.

scholarly journals Atrial fibrillation associated common risk variants in SYNE2 lead to lower expression of nesprin-2α1 and increased nuclear stiffness

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nana Liu ◽  
Jeffrey Hsu ◽  
Gautam Mahajan ◽  
Han Sun ◽  
John Barnard ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Atrial Fibrillation ◽  
Association Studies ◽  
Dominant Negative ◽  
Genome Wide Association Studies ◽  
Nucleotide Polymorphisms ◽  
Gene Encoding ◽  
Enhancer Activity ◽  
Risk Alleles ◽  
Risk Variants ◽  
Lower Expression

ABSTRACTRationaleAtrial fibrillation (AF) genome-wide association studies (GWAS) identified significant associations for rs1152591 and linked variants in the SYNE2 gene encoding the nesprin-2 protein that connects the nuclear membrane with the cytoskeletonObjectiveDetermine the effects of the AF-associated rs1152591 and rs1152595, two linked intronic single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), on SYNE2 expression and investigate the mechanisms for their association with AF.Methods and ResultsRNA sequencing of human left atrial appendage (LAA) tissues indicated that rs1152591 and rs1152595 were significantly associated with the expressions of SYNE2α1, a short mRNA isoform, without an effect on the expression of the full-length SYNE2 mRNA. SYNE2α1 mRNA uses an alternative transcription start site and encodes an N-terminal deleted 62 kDa nesprin-2α1 isoform, which can act as a dominant-negative on nuclear-cytoskeleton connectivity. Western blot and qPCR assays confirmed that AF risk alleles of both SNPs were associated with lower expression of nesprin-2α1 in human LAA tissues. Reporter gene transfections demonstrated that the risk vs. reference alleles of rs1152591 and rs1152595 had decreased enhancer activity. SYNE2 siRNA knockdown (KD) or nesprin-2α1 overexpression studies in human stem cell-derived induced cardiomyocytes (iCMs) resulted in ~12.5 % increases in the nuclear area compared to controls (p<0.001). Atomic force microscopy demonstrated that SYNE2 KD or nesprin-2α1 overexpression led to 57.5% or 33.2% decreases, respectively, in nuclear stiffness compared to controls (p< 0.0001).ConclusionsAF-associated SNPs rs1152591 and rs1152595 downregulate the expression of SYNE2α1, increasing nuclear-cytoskeletal connectivity and nuclear stiffness. The resulting increase in mechanical stress may play a role in the development of AF.

scholarly journals Genome-wide association study of clinically defined gout identifies multiple risk loci and its association with clinical subtypes

2015 ◽  
Vol 75 (4) ◽  
pp. 652-659 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hirotaka Matsuo ◽  
Ken Yamamoto ◽  
Hirofumi Nakaoka ◽  
Akiyoshi Nakayama ◽  
Masayuki Sakiyama ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genome Wide Association Study ◽  
Association Studies ◽  
Clinical Information ◽  
Genome Wide Association ◽  
Genome Wide Association Studies ◽  
Clinical Parameters ◽  
Nucleotide Polymorphisms ◽  
Male Population ◽  
Significance Level ◽  
Genome Wide

ObjectiveGout, caused by hyperuricaemia, is a multifactorial disease. Although genome-wide association studies (GWASs) of gout have been reported, they included self-reported gout cases in which clinical information was insufficient. Therefore, the relationship between genetic variation and clinical subtypes of gout remains unclear. Here, we first performed a GWAS of clinically defined gout cases only.MethodsA GWAS was conducted with 945 patients with clinically defined gout and 1213 controls in a Japanese male population, followed by replication study of 1048 clinically defined cases and 1334 controls.ResultsFive gout susceptibility loci were identified at the genome-wide significance level (p<5.0×10−8), which contained well-known urate transporter genes (ABCG2 and SLC2A9) and additional genes: rs1260326 (p=1.9×10−12; OR=1.36) of GCKR (a gene for glucose and lipid metabolism), rs2188380 (p=1.6×10−23; OR=1.75) of MYL2-CUX2 (genes associated with cholesterol and diabetes mellitus) and rs4073582 (p=6.4×10−9; OR=1.66) of CNIH-2 (a gene for regulation of glutamate signalling). The latter two are identified as novel gout loci. Furthermore, among the identified single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), we demonstrated that the SNPs of ABCG2 and SLC2A9 were differentially associated with types of gout and clinical parameters underlying specific subtypes (renal underexcretion type and renal overload type). The effect of the risk allele of each SNP on clinical parameters showed significant linear relationships with the ratio of the case–control ORs for two distinct types of gout (r=0.96 [p=4.8×10−4] for urate clearance and r=0.96 [p=5.0×10−4] for urinary urate excretion).ConclusionsOur findings provide clues to better understand the pathogenesis of gout and will be useful for development of companion diagnostics.

scholarly journals Single nucleotide polymorphism within gene in NFKBIA is associated with the risks of nasopharyngeal carcinoma in Chinese Han population.

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (suppl) ◽  
pp. 67-67
Author(s):  
Hanyi Zhang ◽  
Shun Lu ◽  
Chang Sun ◽  
Siyao Deng ◽  
Jin Yi Lang
Keyword(s):  
Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma ◽  
Association Studies ◽  
Sample Size Calculation ◽  
Genome Wide Association Studies ◽  
Nucleotide Polymorphisms ◽  
Chinese Han ◽  
Single Nucleotide ◽  
Significance Level ◽  
Genotype Frequencies ◽  
Increased Risk

67 Background: Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma(NPC) is an Epstein-Barr virus(EBV) associated malignancy with remarkable ethnic and geographical distribution. The EBV oncoprotein latent membrane protein 1 (LMP1) is the primary oncogene of EBV infection through the its signaling cascade and its connections to other pathways including NF-κB, TGF-β and JNK signaling, which plays an important role in the pathogenesis of NPC. In GWASs (Genome-wide association studies) associations these pathways were also identified. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the regulatory regions may regulate the expression of genes in these pathways, or affect the function of the coded protein. Methods: Altogether 149 SNPs were covered by the 15 SNPs in the TRAF2, TRAF3, NFKBIA, MAP2K4, and CHUK genes were genotyped in a hospital-based case-control study of 350 NPC cases and 587 healthy controls from the Chinese Han. The observed genotype frequencies in the controls were tested for Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) using the chi-square test. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) for associations between genotypes and NPC risk and tumor characteristics were calculated by logistic regression, and they were adjusted for multiple testing using the SNP spectral deposition (SNPSpD) approach for multilocus analyses. Results: We found one NFKBIA SNP was associated with NPC risk after adjustment for multiple comparisons. Minor allele carriers of the NFKBIA had an increased risk of NPC (P 0.05). The analyses were adjusted for age and gender. For a polymorphism with a variant allele frequency between 10 %and 50%, the study had greater than 90% power to detect an OR of 1.50 at a significance level of 0.05 (PS—software for power and sample size calculation, http://biostat.mc.vanderbilt.edu/twiki/bin/view/Main/PowerSampleSize). The other genotyped SNPs that we found were not associated with NPC risk. Conclusions: Our data suggests that genetic variation especially in the NFKBIA maybe a useful biomarker for NPC screening and further studies are warranted.

scholarly journals Silencing of CCR4-NOT complex subunits affects heart structure and function

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. dmm044727 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa Elmén ◽  
Claudia B. Volpato ◽  
Anaïs Kervadec ◽  
Santiago Pineda ◽  
Sreehari Kalvakuri ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heart Development ◽  
Qt Interval ◽  
Association Studies ◽  
Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell ◽  
Interval Length ◽  
Genome Wide Association Studies ◽  
Nucleotide Polymorphisms ◽  
Risk Alleles ◽  
And Function

ABSTRACTThe identification of genetic variants that predispose individuals to cardiovascular disease and a better understanding of their targets would be highly advantageous. Genome-wide association studies have identified variants that associate with QT-interval length (a measure of myocardial repolarization). Three of the strongest associating variants (single-nucleotide polymorphisms) are located in the putative promotor region of CNOT1, a gene encoding the central CNOT1 subunit of CCR4-NOT: a multifunctional, conserved complex regulating gene expression and mRNA stability and turnover. We isolated the minimum fragment of the CNOT1 promoter containing all three variants from individuals homozygous for the QT risk alleles and demonstrated that the haplotype associating with longer QT interval caused reduced reporter expression in a cardiac cell line, suggesting that reduced CNOT1 expression might contribute to abnormal QT intervals. Systematic siRNA-mediated knockdown of CCR4-NOT components in human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) revealed that silencing CNOT1 and other CCR4-NOT genes reduced their proliferative capacity. Silencing CNOT7 also shortened action potential duration. Furthermore, the cardiac-specific knockdown of Drosophila orthologs of CCR4-NOT genes in vivo (CNOT1/Not1 and CNOT7/8/Pop2) was either lethal or resulted in dilated cardiomyopathy, reduced contractility or a propensity for arrhythmia. Silencing CNOT2/Not2, CNOT4/Not4 and CNOT6/6L/twin also affected cardiac chamber size and contractility. Developmental studies suggested that CNOT1/Not1 and CNOT7/8/Pop2 are required during cardiac remodeling from larval to adult stages. To summarize, we have demonstrated how disease-associated genes identified by GWAS can be investigated by combining human cardiomyocyte cell-based and whole-organism in vivo heart models. Our results also suggest a potential link of CNOT1 and CNOT7/8 to QT alterations and further establish a crucial role of the CCR4-NOT complex in heart development and function.This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper.

scholarly journals Meta-Analysis of Allergy Genome-Wide Association Studies

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronin Sharma
Keyword(s):  
Association Studies ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Genetic Association Studies ◽  
Genome Wide Association ◽  
Genome Wide Association Studies ◽  
Nucleotide Polymorphisms ◽  
Single Nucleotide ◽  
Significance Level ◽  
Genome Wide ◽  
Linear Regressions

AbstractAllergies are complex conditions involving both environmental and genetic factors. The genetic basis underlying allergic disease is investigated through genetic association studies. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) leverage sequenced data to identify genetic mutations, such as single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), associated with phenotypes of interest. Machine learning can be used to analyze large datasets and generate predictive models. In this study, several classification models were created to predict the significance level of SNPs associated with allergies. Summary statistics were obtained from the GWAS Catalog and combined from several studies. Biological features such as chromosomal location, base pair location, effect allele, and odds ratio were used to train the models. The models ranged from simple linear regressions to multi-layer neural networks. The final models reached accuracies of 80% and reflect the features that have the largest impact on a SNP’s association level.

scholarly journals Host Genetic Variants Potentially Associated with SARS-Cov-2: A Multi-Population Analysis

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria K. Smatti ◽  
Yasser Al-Sarraj ◽  
Omar Albagha ◽  
Hadi M. Yassine
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Variants ◽  
Association Studies ◽  
Population Analysis ◽  
Fold Change ◽  
Genome Wide Association Studies ◽  
Nucleotide Polymorphisms ◽  
Risk Alleles ◽  
Risk Variants ◽  
Genome Wide ◽  
Ifn Γ

Background: Clinical outcomes of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) showed enormous inter-individual and interpopulation differences, possibly due to host genetics differences. Earlier studies identified single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with SARS-CoV-1 in Eastern Asian (EAS) populations. In this report, we aimed at exploring the frequency of a set of genetic polymorphisms that could affect SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility or severity, including those that were previously associated with SARS-CoV-1. Methods: We extracted the list of SNPs that could potentially modulate SARS-CoV-2 from the genome wide association studies (GWAS) on SARS-CoV-1 and other viruses. We also collected the expression data of these SNPs from the expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) databases. Sequences from Qatar Genome Programme (QGP, n=6,054) and 1000Genome project were used to calculate and compare allelic frequencies (AF). Results: A total of 74 SNPs, located in 10 genes: ICAM3, IFN-γ, CCL2, CCL5, AHSG, MBL, Furin, TMPRSS2, IL4, and CD209 promoter, were identified. Analysis of Qatari genomes revealed significantly lower AF of risk variants linked to SARS-CoV-1 severity (CCL2, MBL, CCL5, AHSG, and IL4) compared to that of 1000Genome and/or the EAS population (up to 25-fold change). Conversely, SNPs in TMPRSS2, IFN-γ, ICAM3, and Furin were more common among Qataris (average 2-fold change). Inter-population analysis showed that the distribution of risk alleles among Europeans differs substantially from Africans and EASs. Remarkably, Africans seem to carry extremely lower frequencies of SARS-CoV-1 susceptibility alleles, reaching to 32-fold decrease compared to other populations. Conclusion: Multiple genetic variants, which could potentially modulate SARS-CoV-2 infection, are significantly variable between populations, with the lowest frequency observed among Africans. Our results highlight the importance of exploring population genetics to understand and predict COVID-19 outcomes. Indeed, further studies are needed to validate these findings as well as to identify new genetic determinants linked to SARS-CoV-2.

scholarly journals Mapping genomic loci prioritises genes and implicates synaptic biology in schizophrenia

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Stephan Ripke ◽  
James TR Walters ◽  
Michael C O'Donovan
Keyword(s):  
Developmental Disorder ◽  
Association Studies ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Genome Wide Association Studies ◽  
Biological Processes ◽  
Neuronal Function ◽  
Protein Coding ◽  
Risk Alleles ◽  
Genome Wide ◽  
Coding Variants

Schizophrenia is a psychiatric disorder whose pathophysiology is largely unknown. It has a heritability of 60-80%, much of which is attributable to common risk alleles, suggesting genome-wide association studies can inform our understanding of aetiology. Here, in 69,369 people with schizophrenia and 236,642 controls, we report common variant associations at 270 distinct loci. Using fine-mapping and functional genomic data, we prioritise 19 genes based on protein-coding or UTR variation, and 130 genes in total as likely to explain these associations. Fine-mapped candidates were enriched for genes associated with rare disruptive coding variants in people with schizophrenia, including the glutamate receptor subunit GRIN2A and transcription factor SP4, and were also enriched for genes implicated by such variants in autism and developmental disorder. Associations were concentrated in genes expressed in CNS neurons, both excitatory and inhibitory, but not other tissues or cell types, and implicated fundamental processes related to neuronal function, particularly synaptic organisation, differentiation and transmission. We identify biological processes of pathophysiological relevance to schizophrenia, show convergence of common and rare variant associations in schizophrenia and neurodevelopmental disorders, and provide a rich resource of priority genes and variants to advance mechanistic studies.

scholarly journals Genome-Wide Association Study of Response to Selenium Supplementation and Circulating Selenium Concentrations in Adults of European Descent

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ken Batai ◽  
Mario J Trejo ◽  
Yuliang Chen ◽  
Lindsay N Kohler ◽  
Peter Lance ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genome Wide Association Study ◽  
Association Studies ◽  
Genome Wide Association ◽  
Genome Wide Association Studies ◽  
Nucleotide Polymorphisms ◽  
European Descent ◽  
Significance Level ◽  
Genome Wide ◽  
A Genome ◽  
Basal Plasma

ABSTRACT Background Selenium (Se) is a trace element that has been linked to many health conditions. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified variants for blood and toenail Se levels, but no GWAS has been conducted to date on responses to Se supplementation. Objectives A GWAS was performed to identify the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with changes in Se concentrations after 1 year of supplementation. A GWAS of basal plasma Se concentrations at study entry was conducted to evaluate whether SNPs for Se responses overlap with SNPs for basal Se levels. Methods A total of 428 participants aged 40–80 years of European descent from the Selenium and Celecoxib Trial (Sel/Cel Trial) who received daily supplementation with 200 µg of selenized yeast were included for the GWAS of responses to supplementation. Plasma Se concentrations were measured from blood samples collected at the time of recruitment and after 1 year of supplementation. Linear regression analyses were performed to assess the relationship between each SNP and changes in Se concentrations. We further examined whether the identified SNPs overlapped with those related to basal Se concentrations. Results No SNP was significantly associated with changes in Se concentration at a genome-wide significance level. However, rs56856693, located upstream of the NEK6, was nominally associated with changes in Se concentrations after supplementation (P = 4.41 × 10−7), as were 2 additional SNPs, rs11960388 and rs6887869, located in the dimethylglycine dehydrogenase (DMGDH)/betaine-homocysteine S-methyltransferase (BHMT) region (P = 0.01). Alleles of 2 SNPs in the DMGDH/BHMT region associated with greater increases in Se concentrations after supplementation were also strongly associated with higher basal Se concentrations (P = 8.67 × 10−8). Conclusions This first GWAS of responses to Se supplementation in participants of European descent from the Sel/Cel Trial suggests that SNPs in the NEK6 and DMGDH/BHMT regions influence responses to supplementation.

scholarly journals Whole-exome SNP array identifies 15 new susceptibility loci for psoriasis

2015 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xianbo Zuo ◽  
Liangdan Sun ◽  
Xianyong Yin ◽  
Jinping Gao ◽  
Yujun Sheng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Association Studies ◽  
Snp Array ◽  
Genome Wide Association Studies ◽  
Susceptibility Loci ◽  
Array Analysis ◽  
New Genes ◽  
Genome Wide ◽  
Whole Exome ◽  
Coding Variants

Abstract Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have reproducibly associated ∼40 susceptibility loci with psoriasis. However, the missing heritability is evident and the contributions of coding variants have not yet been systematically evaluated. Here, we present a large-scale whole-exome array analysis for psoriasis consisting of 42,760 individuals. We discover 16 SNPs within 15 new genes/loci associated with psoriasis, including C1orf141, ZNF683, TMC6, AIM2, IL1RL1, CASR, SON, ZFYVE16, MTHFR, CCDC129, ZNF143, AP5B1, SYNE2, IFNGR2 and 3q26.2-q27 (P<5.00 × 10−08). In addition, we also replicate four known susceptibility loci TNIP1, NFKBIA, IL12B and LCE3D–LCE3E. These susceptibility variants identified in the current study collectively account for 1.9% of the psoriasis heritability. The variant within AIM2 is predicted to impact protein structure. Our findings increase the number of genetic risk factors for psoriasis and highlight new and plausible biological pathways in psoriasis.

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