@article {1107, title = {NRXN3 is a novel locus for waist circumference: a genome-wide association study from the CHARGE Consortium.}, journal = {PLoS Genet}, volume = {5}, year = {2009}, month = {2009 Jun}, pages = {e1000539}, abstract = {

Central abdominal fat is a strong risk factor for diabetes and cardiovascular disease. To identify common variants influencing central abdominal fat, we conducted a two-stage genome-wide association analysis for waist circumference (WC). In total, three loci reached genome-wide significance. In stage 1, 31,373 individuals of Caucasian descent from eight cohort studies confirmed the role of FTO and MC4R and identified one novel locus associated with WC in the neurexin 3 gene [NRXN3 (rs10146997, p = 6.4x10(-7))]. The association with NRXN3 was confirmed in stage 2 by combining stage 1 results with those from 38,641 participants in the GIANT consortium (p = 0.009 in GIANT only, p = 5.3x10(-8) for combined analysis, n = 70,014). Mean WC increase per copy of the G allele was 0.0498 z-score units (0.65 cm). This SNP was also associated with body mass index (BMI) [p = 7.4x10(-6), 0.024 z-score units (0.10 kg/m(2)) per copy of the G allele] and the risk of obesity (odds ratio 1.13, 95\% CI 1.07-1.19; p = 3.2x10(-5) per copy of the G allele). The NRXN3 gene has been previously implicated in addiction and reward behavior, lending further evidence that common forms of obesity may be a central nervous system-mediated disorder. Our findings establish that common variants in NRXN3 are associated with WC, BMI, and obesity.

}, keywords = {Aged, Body Mass Index, Cohort Studies, European Continental Ancestry Group, Female, Genetic Predisposition to Disease, Genome-Wide Association Study, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Nerve Tissue Proteins, Obesity, Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide, Waist Circumference}, issn = {1553-7404}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pgen.1000539}, author = {Heard-Costa, Nancy L and Zillikens, M Carola and Monda, Keri L and Johansson, Asa and Harris, Tamara B and Fu, Mao and Haritunians, Talin and Feitosa, Mary F and Aspelund, Thor and Eiriksdottir, Gudny and Garcia, Melissa and Launer, Lenore J and Smith, Albert V and Mitchell, Braxton D and McArdle, Patrick F and Shuldiner, Alan R and Bielinski, Suzette J and Boerwinkle, Eric and Brancati, Fred and Demerath, Ellen W and Pankow, James S and Arnold, Alice M and Chen, Yii-Der Ida and Glazer, Nicole L and McKnight, Barbara and Psaty, Bruce M and Rotter, Jerome I and Amin, Najaf and Campbell, Harry and Gyllensten, Ulf and Pattaro, Cristian and Pramstaller, Peter P and Rudan, Igor and Struchalin, Maksim and Vitart, Veronique and Gao, Xiaoyi and Kraja, Aldi and Province, Michael A and Zhang, Qunyuan and Atwood, Larry D and Dupuis, Jos{\'e}e and Hirschhorn, Joel N and Jaquish, Cashell E and O{\textquoteright}Donnell, Christopher J and Vasan, Ramachandran S and White, Charles C and Aulchenko, Yurii S and Estrada, Karol and Hofman, Albert and Rivadeneira, Fernando and Uitterlinden, Andr{\'e} G and Witteman, Jacqueline C M and Oostra, Ben A and Kaplan, Robert C and Gudnason, Vilmundur and O{\textquoteright}Connell, Jeffrey R and Borecki, Ingrid B and van Duijn, Cornelia M and Cupples, L Adrienne and Fox, Caroline S and North, Kari E} } @article {1222, title = {Interactions of dietary whole-grain intake with fasting glucose- and insulin-related genetic loci in individuals of European descent: a meta-analysis of 14 cohort studies.}, journal = {Diabetes Care}, volume = {33}, year = {2010}, month = {2010 Dec}, pages = {2684-91}, abstract = {

OBJECTIVE: Whole-grain foods are touted for multiple health benefits, including enhancing insulin sensitivity and reducing type 2 diabetes risk. Recent genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified several single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with fasting glucose and insulin concentrations in individuals free of diabetes. We tested the hypothesis that whole-grain food intake and genetic variation interact to influence concentrations of fasting glucose and insulin.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Via meta-analysis of data from 14 cohorts comprising \~{} 48,000 participants of European descent, we studied interactions of whole-grain intake with loci previously associated in GWAS with fasting glucose (16 loci) and/or insulin (2 loci) concentrations. For tests of interaction, we considered a P value <0.0028 (0.05 of 18 tests) as statistically significant.

RESULTS: Greater whole-grain food intake was associated with lower fasting glucose and insulin concentrations independent of demographics, other dietary and lifestyle factors, and BMI (β [95\% CI] per 1-serving-greater whole-grain intake: -0.009 mmol/l glucose [-0.013 to -0.005], P < 0.0001 and -0.011 pmol/l [ln] insulin [-0.015 to -0.007], P = 0.0003). No interactions met our multiple testing-adjusted statistical significance threshold. The strongest SNP interaction with whole-grain intake was rs780094 (GCKR) for fasting insulin (P = 0.006), where greater whole-grain intake was associated with a smaller reduction in fasting insulin concentrations in those with the insulin-raising allele.

CONCLUSIONS: Our results support the favorable association of whole-grain intake with fasting glucose and insulin and suggest a potential interaction between variation in GCKR and whole-grain intake in influencing fasting insulin concentrations.

}, keywords = {Adult, Aged, Blood Glucose, Edible Grain, European Continental Ancestry Group, Fasting, Female, Genetic Loci, Genome-Wide Association Study, Genotype, Humans, Insulin, Male, Middle Aged, Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide}, issn = {1935-5548}, doi = {10.2337/dc10-1150}, author = {Nettleton, Jennifer A and McKeown, Nicola M and Kanoni, Stavroula and Lemaitre, Rozenn N and Hivert, Marie-France and Ngwa, Julius and van Rooij, Frank J A and Sonestedt, Emily and Wojczynski, Mary K and Ye, Zheng and Tanaka, Tosh and Garcia, Melissa and Anderson, Jennifer S and Follis, Jack L and Djouss{\'e}, Luc and Mukamal, Kenneth and Papoutsakis, Constantina and Mozaffarian, Dariush and Zillikens, M Carola and Bandinelli, Stefania and Bennett, Amanda J and Borecki, Ingrid B and Feitosa, Mary F and Ferrucci, Luigi and Forouhi, Nita G and Groves, Christopher J and Hallmans, G{\"o}ran and Harris, Tamara and Hofman, Albert and Houston, Denise K and Hu, Frank B and Johansson, Ingegerd and Kritchevsky, Stephen B and Langenberg, Claudia and Launer, Lenore and Liu, Yongmei and Loos, Ruth J and Nalls, Michael and Orho-Melander, Marju and Renstrom, Frida and Rice, Kenneth and Riserus, Ulf and Rolandsson, Olov and Rotter, Jerome I and Saylor, Georgia and Sijbrands, Eric J G and Sjogren, Per and Smith, Albert and Steingr{\'\i}msd{\'o}ttir, Laufey and Uitterlinden, Andr{\'e} G and Wareham, Nicholas J and Prokopenko, Inga and Pankow, James S and van Duijn, Cornelia M and Florez, Jose C and Witteman, Jacqueline C M and Dupuis, Jos{\'e}e and Dedoussis, George V and Ordovas, Jose M and Ingelsson, Erik and Cupples, L Adrienne and Siscovick, David S and Franks, Paul W and Meigs, James B} } @article {1258, title = {Meta-analysis of gene-environment interaction: joint estimation of SNP and SNP {\texttimes} environment regression coefficients.}, journal = {Genet Epidemiol}, volume = {35}, year = {2011}, month = {2011 Jan}, pages = {11-8}, abstract = {

INTRODUCTION: Genetic discoveries are validated through the meta-analysis of genome-wide association scans in large international consortia. Because environmental variables may interact with genetic factors, investigation of differing genetic effects for distinct levels of an environmental exposure in these large consortia may yield additional susceptibility loci undetected by main effects analysis. We describe a method of joint meta-analysis (JMA) of SNP and SNP by Environment (SNP {\texttimes} E) regression coefficients for use in gene-environment interaction studies.

METHODS: In testing SNP {\texttimes} E interactions, one approach uses a two degree of freedom test to identify genetic variants that influence the trait of interest. This approach detects both main and interaction effects between the trait and the SNP. We propose a method to jointly meta-analyze the SNP and SNP {\texttimes} E coefficients using multivariate generalized least squares. This approach provides confidence intervals of the two estimates, a joint significance test for SNP and SNP {\texttimes} E terms, and a test of homogeneity across samples.

RESULTS: We present a simulation study comparing this method to four other methods of meta-analysis and demonstrate that the JMA performs better than the others when both main and interaction effects are present. Additionally, we implemented our methods in a meta-analysis of the association between SNPs from the type 2 diabetes-associated gene PPARG and log-transformed fasting insulin levels and interaction by body mass index in a combined sample of 19,466 individuals from five cohorts.

}, keywords = {Adult, Aged, Body Mass Index, Confidence Intervals, Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2, Environment, Fasting, Female, Genome, Human, Genome-Wide Association Study, Genotype, Humans, Insulin, Least-Squares Analysis, Male, Mathematical Computing, Meta-Analysis as Topic, Middle Aged, Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide, PPAR gamma}, issn = {1098-2272}, doi = {10.1002/gepi.20546}, author = {Manning, Alisa K and LaValley, Michael and Liu, Ching-Ti and Rice, Kenneth and An, Ping and Liu, Yongmei and Miljkovic, Iva and Rasmussen-Torvik, Laura and Harris, Tamara B and Province, Michael A and Borecki, Ingrid B and Florez, Jose C and Meigs, James B and Cupples, L Adrienne and Dupuis, Jos{\'e}e} } @article {1341, title = {Eight genetic loci associated with variation in lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 mass and activity and coronary heart disease: meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies from five community-based studies.}, journal = {Eur Heart J}, volume = {33}, year = {2012}, month = {2012 Jan}, pages = {238-51}, abstract = {

AIMS: Lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2) generates proinflammatory and proatherogenic compounds in the arterial vascular wall and is a potential therapeutic target in coronary heart disease (CHD). We searched for genetic loci related to Lp-PLA2 mass or activity by a genome-wide association study as part of the Cohorts for Heart and Aging Research in Genomic Epidemiology (CHARGE) Consortium.

METHODS AND RESULTS: In meta-analyses of findings from five population-based studies, comprising 13 664 subjects, variants at two loci (PLA2G7, CETP) were associated with Lp-PLA2 mass. The strongest signal was at rs1805017 in PLA2G7 [P = 2.4 {\texttimes} 10(-23), log Lp-PLA2 difference per allele (beta): 0.043]. Variants at six loci were associated with Lp-PLA2 activity (PLA2G7, APOC1, CELSR2, LDL, ZNF259, SCARB1), among which the strongest signals were at rs4420638, near the APOE-APOC1-APOC4-APOC2 cluster [P = 4.9 {\texttimes} 10(-30); log Lp-PLA2 difference per allele (beta): -0.054]. There were no significant gene-environment interactions between these eight polymorphisms associated with Lp-PLA2 mass or activity and age, sex, body mass index, or smoking status. Four of the polymorphisms (in APOC1, CELSR2, SCARB1, ZNF259), but not PLA2G7, were significantly associated with CHD in a second study.

CONCLUSION: Levels of Lp-PLA2 mass and activity were associated with PLA2G7, the gene coding for this protein. Lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 activity was also strongly associated with genetic variants related to low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels.

}, keywords = {1-Alkyl-2-acetylglycerophosphocholine Esterase, Aged, Coronary Artery Disease, Coronary Disease, Female, Genetic Loci, Genome-Wide Association Study, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Phospholipases A2, Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide}, issn = {1522-9645}, doi = {10.1093/eurheartj/ehr372}, author = {Grallert, Harald and Dupuis, Jos{\'e}e and Bis, Joshua C and Dehghan, Abbas and Barbalic, Maja and Baumert, Jens and Lu, Chen and Smith, Nicholas L and Uitterlinden, Andr{\'e} G and Roberts, Robert and Khuseyinova, Natalie and Schnabel, Renate B and Rice, Kenneth M and Rivadeneira, Fernando and Hoogeveen, Ron C and Fontes, Jo{\~a}o Daniel and Meisinger, Christa and Keaney, John F and Lemaitre, Rozenn and Aulchenko, Yurii S and Vasan, Ramachandran S and Ellis, Stephen and Hazen, Stanley L and van Duijn, Cornelia M and Nelson, Jeanenne J and M{\"a}rz, Winfried and Schunkert, Heribert and McPherson, Ruth M and Stirnadel-Farrant, Heide A and Psaty, Bruce M and Gieger, Christian and Siscovick, David and Hofman, Albert and Illig, Thomas and Cushman, Mary and Yamamoto, Jennifer F and Rotter, Jerome I and Larson, Martin G and Stewart, Alexandre F R and Boerwinkle, Eric and Witteman, Jacqueline C M and Tracy, Russell P and Koenig, Wolfgang and Benjamin, Emelia J and Ballantyne, Christie M} } @article {6092, title = {Genome-wide association studies identify CHRNA5/3 and HTR4 in the development of airflow obstruction.}, journal = {Am J Respir Crit Care Med}, volume = {186}, year = {2012}, month = {2012 Oct 01}, pages = {622-32}, abstract = {

RATIONALE: Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified loci influencing lung function, but fewer genes influencing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are known.

OBJECTIVES: Perform meta-analyses of GWAS for airflow obstruction, a key pathophysiologic characteristic of COPD assessed by spirometry, in population-based cohorts examining all participants, ever smokers, never smokers, asthma-free participants, and more severe cases.

METHODS: Fifteen cohorts were studied for discovery (3,368 affected; 29,507 unaffected), and a population-based family study and a meta-analysis of case-control studies were used for replication and regional follow-up (3,837 cases; 4,479 control subjects). Airflow obstruction was defined as FEV(1) and its ratio to FVC (FEV(1)/FVC) both less than their respective lower limits of normal as determined by published reference equations.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The discovery meta-analyses identified one region on chromosome 15q25.1 meeting genome-wide significance in ever smokers that includes AGPHD1, IREB2, and CHRNA5/CHRNA3 genes. The region was also modestly associated among never smokers. Gene expression studies confirmed the presence of CHRNA5/3 in lung, airway smooth muscle, and bronchial epithelial cells. A single-nucleotide polymorphism in HTR4, a gene previously related to FEV(1)/FVC, achieved genome-wide statistical significance in combined meta-analysis. Top single-nucleotide polymorphisms in ADAM19, RARB, PPAP2B, and ADAMTS19 were nominally replicated in the COPD meta-analysis.

CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest an important role for the CHRNA5/3 region as a genetic risk factor for airflow obstruction that may be independent of smoking and implicate the HTR4 gene in the etiology of airflow obstruction.

}, keywords = {Aged, Female, Forced Expiratory Volume, Genome-Wide Association Study, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Nerve Tissue Proteins, Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide, Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive, Receptors, Nicotinic, Receptors, Serotonin, 5-HT4, Smoking, Vital Capacity}, issn = {1535-4970}, doi = {10.1164/rccm.201202-0366OC}, author = {Wilk, Jemma B and Shrine, Nick R G and Loehr, Laura R and Zhao, Jing Hua and Manichaikul, Ani and Lopez, Lorna M and Smith, Albert Vernon and Heckbert, Susan R and Smolonska, Joanna and Tang, Wenbo and Loth, Daan W and Curjuric, Ivan and Hui, Jennie and Cho, Michael H and Latourelle, Jeanne C and Henry, Amanda P and Aldrich, Melinda and Bakke, Per and Beaty, Terri H and Bentley, Amy R and Borecki, Ingrid B and Brusselle, Guy G and Burkart, Kristin M and Chen, Ting-Hsu and Couper, David and Crapo, James D and Davies, Gail and Dupuis, Jos{\'e}e and Franceschini, Nora and Gulsvik, Amund and Hancock, Dana B and Harris, Tamara B and Hofman, Albert and Imboden, Medea and James, Alan L and Khaw, Kay-Tee and Lahousse, Lies and Launer, Lenore J and Litonjua, Augusto and Liu, Yongmei and Lohman, Kurt K and Lomas, David A and Lumley, Thomas and Marciante, Kristin D and McArdle, Wendy L and Meibohm, Bernd and Morrison, Alanna C and Musk, Arthur W and Myers, Richard H and North, Kari E and Postma, Dirkje S and Psaty, Bruce M and Rich, Stephen S and Rivadeneira, Fernando and Rochat, Thierry and Rotter, Jerome I and Soler Artigas, Maria and Starr, John M and Uitterlinden, Andr{\'e} G and Wareham, Nicholas J and Wijmenga, Cisca and Zanen, Pieter and Province, Michael A and Silverman, Edwin K and Deary, Ian J and Palmer, Lyle J and Cassano, Patricia A and Gudnason, Vilmundur and Barr, R Graham and Loos, Ruth J F and Strachan, David P and London, Stephanie J and Boezen, H Marike and Probst-Hensch, Nicole and Gharib, Sina A and Hall, Ian P and O{\textquoteright}Connor, George T and Tobin, Martin D and Stricker, Bruno H} } @article {6282, title = {Genome-wide and gene-centric analyses of circulating myeloperoxidase levels in the charge and care consortia.}, journal = {Hum Mol Genet}, volume = {22}, year = {2013}, month = {2013 Aug 15}, pages = {3381-93}, abstract = {

Increased systemic levels of myeloperoxidase (MPO) are associated with the risk of coronary artery disease (CAD). To identify the genetic factors that are associated with circulating MPO levels, we carried out a genome-wide association study (GWAS) and a gene-centric analysis in subjects of European ancestry and African Americans (AAs). A locus on chromosome 1q31.1 containing the complement factor H (CFH) gene was strongly associated with serum MPO levels in 9305 subjects of European ancestry (lead SNP rs800292; P = 4.89 {\texttimes} 10(-41)) and in 1690 AA subjects (rs505102; P = 1.05 {\texttimes} 10(-8)). Gene-centric analyses in 8335 subjects of European ancestry additionally identified two rare MPO coding sequence variants that were associated with serum MPO levels (rs28730837, P = 5.21 {\texttimes} 10(-12); rs35897051, P = 3.32 {\texttimes} 10(-8)). A GWAS for plasma MPO levels in 9260 European ancestry subjects identified a chromosome 17q22 region near MPO that was significantly associated (lead SNP rs6503905; P = 2.94 {\texttimes} 10(-12)), but the CFH locus did not exhibit evidence of association with plasma MPO levels. Functional analyses revealed that rs800292 was associated with levels of complement proteins in serum. Variants at chromosome 17q22 also had pleiotropic cis effects on gene expression. In a case-control analysis of \~{}80 000 subjects from CARDIoGRAM, none of the identified single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were associated with CAD. These results suggest that distinct genetic factors regulate serum and plasma MPO levels, which may have relevance for various acute and chronic inflammatory disorders. The clinical implications for CAD and a better understanding of the functional basis for the association of CFH and MPO variants with circulating MPO levels require further study.

}, keywords = {Adult, African Americans, Aged, Case-Control Studies, Complement Factor H, Coronary Artery Disease, European Continental Ancestry Group, Female, Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic, Genetic Association Studies, Genetic Variation, Genome-Wide Association Study, Genotype, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Peroxidase, Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide, Young Adult}, issn = {1460-2083}, doi = {10.1093/hmg/ddt189}, author = {Reiner, Alexander P and Hartiala, Jaana and Zeller, Tanja and Bis, Joshua C and Dupuis, Jos{\'e}e and Fornage, Myriam and Baumert, Jens and Kleber, Marcus E and Wild, Philipp S and Baldus, Stephan and Bielinski, Suzette J and Fontes, Jo{\~a}o D and Illig, Thomas and Keating, Brendan J and Lange, Leslie A and Ojeda, Francisco and M{\"u}ller-Nurasyid, Martina and Munzel, Thomas F and Psaty, Bruce M and Rice, Kenneth and Rotter, Jerome I and Schnabel, Renate B and Tang, W H Wilson and Thorand, Barbara and Erdmann, Jeanette and Jacobs, David R and Wilson, James G and Koenig, Wolfgang and Tracy, Russell P and Blankenberg, Stefan and M{\"a}rz, Winfried and Gross, Myron D and Benjamin, Emelia J and Hazen, Stanley L and Allayee, Hooman} } @article {6580, title = {ADAM19 and HTR4 variants and pulmonary function: Cohorts for Heart and Aging Research in Genomic Epidemiology (CHARGE) Consortium Targeted Sequencing Study.}, journal = {Circ Cardiovasc Genet}, volume = {7}, year = {2014}, month = {2014 Jun}, pages = {350-8}, abstract = {

BACKGROUND: The pulmonary function measures of forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) and its ratio to forced vital capacity (FVC) are used in the diagnosis and monitoring of lung diseases and predict cardiovascular mortality in the general population. Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have identified numerous loci associated with FEV1 and FEV1/FVC, but the causal variants remain uncertain. We hypothesized that novel or rare variants poorly tagged by GWASs may explain the significant associations between FEV1/FVC and 2 genes: ADAM19 and HTR4.

METHODS AND RESULTS: We sequenced ADAM19 and its promoter region along with the ≈21-kb portion of HTR4 harboring GWAS single-nucleotide polymorphisms for pulmonary function and analyzed associations with FEV1/FVC among 3983 participants of European ancestry from Cohorts for Heart and Aging Research in Genomic Epidemiology (CHARGE) Consortium. Meta-analysis of common variants in each region identified statistically significant associations (316 tests; P<1.58{\texttimes}10(-4)) with FEV1/FVC for 14 ADAM19 single-nucleotide polymorphisms and 24 HTR4 single-nucleotide polymorphisms. After conditioning on the sentinel GWASs hit in each gene (ADAM19 rs1422795, minor allele frequency=0.33 and HTR4 rs11168048, minor allele frequency=0.40], 1 single-nucleotide polymorphism remained statistically significant (ADAM19 rs13155908, minor allele frequency=0.12; P=1.56{\texttimes}10(-4)). Analysis of rare variants (minor allele frequency <1\%) using sequence kernel association test did not identify associations with either region.

CONCLUSIONS: Sequencing identified 1 common variant associated with FEV1/FVC independent of the sentinel ADAM19 GWAS hit and supports the original HTR4 GWAS findings. Rare variants do not seem to underlie GWAS associations with pulmonary function for common variants in ADAM19 and HTR4.

}, keywords = {ADAM Proteins, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Aging, Cohort Studies, Female, Genetic Variation, Genome-Wide Association Study, Genomics, Heart Diseases, Humans, Lung, Male, Middle Aged, Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide, Sequence Analysis, DNA}, issn = {1942-3268}, doi = {10.1161/CIRCGENETICS.113.000066}, author = {London, Stephanie J and Gao, Wei and Gharib, Sina A and Hancock, Dana B and Wilk, Jemma B and House, John S and Gibbs, Richard A and Muzny, Donna M and Lumley, Thomas and Franceschini, Nora and North, Kari E and Psaty, Bruce M and Kovar, Christie L and Coresh, Josef and Zhou, Yanhua and Heckbert, Susan R and Brody, Jennifer A and Morrison, Alanna C and Dupuis, Jos{\'e}e} } @article {6555, title = {Association of levels of fasting glucose and insulin with rare variants at the chromosome 11p11.2-MADD locus: Cohorts for Heart and Aging Research in Genomic Epidemiology (CHARGE) Consortium Targeted Sequencing Study.}, journal = {Circ Cardiovasc Genet}, volume = {7}, year = {2014}, month = {2014 Jun}, pages = {374-382}, abstract = {

BACKGROUND: Common variation at the 11p11.2 locus, encompassing MADD, ACP2, NR1H3, MYBPC3, and SPI1, has been associated in genome-wide association studies with fasting glucose and insulin (FI). In the Cohorts for Heart and Aging Research in Genomic Epidemiology Targeted Sequencing Study, we sequenced 5 gene regions at 11p11.2 to identify rare, potentially functional variants influencing fasting glucose or FI levels.

METHODS AND RESULTS: Sequencing (mean depth, 38{\texttimes}) across 16.1 kb in 3566 individuals without diabetes mellitus identified 653 variants, 79.9\% of which were rare (minor allele frequency <1\%) and novel. We analyzed rare variants in 5 gene regions with FI or fasting glucose using the sequence kernel association test. At NR1H3, 53 rare variants were jointly associated with FI (P=2.73{\texttimes}10(-3)); of these, 7 were predicted to have regulatory function and showed association with FI (P=1.28{\texttimes}10(-3)). Conditioning on 2 previously associated variants at MADD (rs7944584, rs10838687) did not attenuate this association, suggesting that there are >2 independent signals at 11p11.2. One predicted regulatory variant, chr11:47227430 (hg18; minor allele frequency=0.00068), contributed 20.6\% to the overall sequence kernel association test score at NR1H3, lies in intron 2 of NR1H3, and is a predicted binding site for forkhead box A1 (FOXA1), a transcription factor associated with insulin regulation. In human HepG2 hepatoma cells, the rare chr11:47227430 A allele disrupted FOXA1 binding and reduced FOXA1-dependent transcriptional activity.

CONCLUSIONS: Sequencing at 11p11.2-NR1H3 identified rare variation associated with FI. One variant, chr11:47227430, seems to be functional, with the rare A allele reducing transcription factor FOXA1 binding and FOXA1-dependent transcriptional activity.

}, keywords = {Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Aging, Blood Glucose, Chromosomes, Human, Pair 11, Cohort Studies, Death Domain Receptor Signaling Adaptor Proteins, Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2, Fasting, Female, Gene Frequency, Genetic Variation, Genome-Wide Association Study, Genomics, Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factors, Heart Diseases, Humans, Insulin, Male, Middle Aged, Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide, Sequence Analysis, DNA}, issn = {1942-3268}, doi = {10.1161/CIRCGENETICS.113.000169}, author = {Cornes, Belinda K and Brody, Jennifer A and Nikpoor, Naghmeh and Morrison, Alanna C and Chu, Huan and Ahn, Byung Soo and Wang, Shuai and Dauriz, Marco and Barzilay, Joshua I and Dupuis, Jos{\'e}e and Florez, Jose C and Coresh, Josef and Gibbs, Richard A and Kao, W H Linda and Liu, Ching-Ti and McKnight, Barbara and Muzny, Donna and Pankow, James S and Reid, Jeffrey G and White, Charles C and Johnson, Andrew D and Wong, Tien Y and Psaty, Bruce M and Boerwinkle, Eric and Rotter, Jerome I and Siscovick, David S and Sladek, Robert and Meigs, James B} } @article {6558, title = {Large multiethnic Candidate Gene Study for C-reactive protein levels: identification of a novel association at CD36 in African Americans.}, journal = {Hum Genet}, volume = {133}, year = {2014}, month = {2014 Aug}, pages = {985-95}, abstract = {

C-reactive protein (CRP) is a heritable biomarker of systemic inflammation and a predictor of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Large-scale genetic association studies for CRP have largely focused on individuals of European descent. We sought to uncover novel genetic variants for CRP in a multiethnic sample using the ITMAT Broad-CARe (IBC) array, a custom 50,000 SNP gene-centric array having dense coverage of over 2,000 candidate CVD genes. We performed analyses on 7,570 African Americans (AA) from the Candidate gene Association Resource (CARe) study and race-combined meta-analyses that included 29,939 additional individuals of European descent from CARe, the Women{\textquoteright}s Health Initiative (WHI) and KORA studies. We observed array-wide significance (p < 2.2 {\texttimes} 10(-6)) for four loci in AA, three of which have been reported previously in individuals of European descent (IL6R, p = 2.0 {\texttimes} 10(-6); CRP, p = 4.2 {\texttimes} 10(-71); APOE, p = 1.6 {\texttimes} 10(-6)). The fourth significant locus, CD36 (p = 1.6 {\texttimes} 10(-6)), was observed at a functional variant (rs3211938) that is extremely rare in individuals of European descent. We replicated the CD36 finding (p = 1.8 {\texttimes} 10(-5)) in an independent sample of 8,041 AA women from WHI; a meta-analysis combining the CARe and WHI AA results at rs3211938 reached genome-wide significance (p = 1.5 {\texttimes} 10(-10)). In the race-combined meta-analyses, 13 loci reached significance, including ten (CRP, TOMM40/APOE/APOC1, HNF1A, LEPR, GCKR, IL6R, IL1RN, NLRP3, HNF4A and BAZ1B/BCL7B) previously associated with CRP, and one (ARNTL) previously reported to be nominally associated with CRP. Two novel loci were also detected (RPS6KB1, p = 2.0 {\texttimes} 10(-6); CD36, p = 1.4 {\texttimes} 10(-6)). These results highlight both shared and unique genetic risk factors for CRP in AA compared to populations of European descent.

}, keywords = {Adult, African Americans, Aged, Biomarkers, C-Reactive Protein, Cardiovascular Diseases, CD36 Antigens, Female, Genetic Loci, Genetic Predisposition to Disease, Genetics, Population, Genome-Wide Association Study, Humans, Meta-Analysis as Topic, Middle Aged, Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide, Risk Factors}, issn = {1432-1203}, doi = {10.1007/s00439-014-1439-z}, author = {Ellis, Jaclyn and Lange, Ethan M and Li, Jin and Dupuis, Jos{\'e}e and Baumert, Jens and Walston, Jeremy D and Keating, Brendan J and Durda, Peter and Fox, Ervin R and Palmer, Cameron D and Meng, Yan A and Young, Taylor and Farlow, Deborah N and Schnabel, Renate B and Marzi, Carola S and Larkin, Emma and Martin, Lisa W and Bis, Joshua C and Auer, Paul and Ramachandran, Vasan S and Gabriel, Stacey B and Willis, Monte S and Pankow, James S and Papanicolaou, George J and Rotter, Jerome I and Ballantyne, Christie M and Gross, Myron D and Lettre, Guillaume and Wilson, James G and Peters, Ulrike and Koenig, Wolfgang and Tracy, Russell P and Redline, Susan and Reiner, Alex P and Benjamin, Emelia J and Lange, Leslie A} } @article {6610, title = {A low-frequency variant in MAPK14 provides mechanistic evidence of a link with myeloperoxidase: a prognostic cardiovascular risk marker.}, journal = {J Am Heart Assoc}, volume = {3}, year = {2014}, month = {2014 Aug}, abstract = {

BACKGROUND: Genetics can be used to predict drug effects and generate hypotheses around alternative indications. To support Losmapimod, a p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase inhibitor in development for acute coronary syndrome, we characterized gene variation in MAPK11/14 genes by exome sequencing and follow-up genotyping or imputation in participants well-phenotyped for cardiovascular and metabolic traits.

METHODS AND RESULTS: Investigation of genetic variation in MAPK11 and MAPK14 genes using additive genetic models in linear or logistic regression with cardiovascular, metabolic, and biomarker phenotypes highlighted an association of RS2859144 in MAPK14 with myeloperoxidase in a dyslipidemic population (Genetic Epidemiology of Metabolic Syndrome Study), P=2.3{\texttimes}10(-6)). This variant (or proxy) was consistently associated with myeloperoxidase in the Framingham Heart Study and Cardiovascular Health Study studies (replication meta-P=0.003), leading to a meta-P value of 9.96{\texttimes}10(-7) in the 3 dyslipidemic groups. The variant or its proxy was then profiled in additional population-based cohorts (up to a total of 58 930 subjects) including Cohorte Lausannoise, Ely, Fenland, European Prospective Investigation of Cancer, London Life Sciences Prospective Population Study, and the Genetics of Obesity Associations study obesity case-control for up to 40 cardiovascular and metabolic traits. Overall analysis identified the same single nucleotide polymorphisms to be nominally associated consistently with glomerular filtration rate (P=0.002) and risk of obesity (body mass index >=30 kg/m(2), P=0.004).

CONCLUSIONS: As myeloperoxidase is a prognostic marker of coronary events, the MAPK14 variant may provide a mechanistic link between p38 map kinase and these events, providing information consistent with current indication of Losmapimod for acute coronary syndrome. If replicated, the association with glomerular filtration rate, along with previous biological findings, also provides support for kidney diseases as alternative indications.

}, keywords = {Adult, Aged, Cardiovascular Diseases, Dyslipidemias, Exome, Female, Genotype, Humans, Linear Models, Logistic Models, Male, Metabolic Syndrome X, Middle Aged, Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 11, Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 14, Obesity, Peroxidase, Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide, Prognosis, Risk Factors, Sequence Analysis, DNA}, issn = {2047-9980}, doi = {10.1161/JAHA.114.001074}, author = {Waterworth, Dawn M and Li, Li and Scott, Robert and Warren, Liling and Gillson, Christopher and Aponte, Jennifer and Sarov-Blat, Lea and Sprecher, Dennis and Dupuis, Jos{\'e}e and Reiner, Alex and Psaty, Bruce M and Tracy, Russell P and Lin, Honghuang and McPherson, Ruth and Chissoe, Stephanie and Wareham, Nick and Ehm, Margaret G} } @article {6578, title = {Strategies to design and analyze targeted sequencing data: cohorts for Heart and Aging Research in Genomic Epidemiology (CHARGE) Consortium Targeted Sequencing Study.}, journal = {Circ Cardiovasc Genet}, volume = {7}, year = {2014}, month = {2014 Jun}, pages = {335-43}, abstract = {

BACKGROUND: Genome-wide association studies have identified thousands of genetic variants that influence a variety of diseases and health-related quantitative traits. However, the causal variants underlying the majority of genetic associations remain unknown. Cohorts for Heart and Aging Research in Genomic Epidemiology (CHARGE) Consortium Targeted Sequencing Study aims to follow up genome-wide association study signals and identify novel associations of the allelic spectrum of identified variants with cardiovascular-related traits.

METHODS AND RESULTS: The study included 4231 participants from 3 CHARGE cohorts: the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study, the Cardiovascular Health Study, and the Framingham Heart Study. We used a case-cohort design in which we selected both a random sample of participants and participants with extreme phenotypes for each of 14 traits. We sequenced and analyzed 77 genomic loci, which had previously been associated with >=1 of 14 phenotypes. A total of 52 736 variants were characterized by sequencing and passed our stringent quality control criteria. For common variants (minor allele frequency >=1\%), we performed unweighted regression analyses to obtain P values for associations and weighted regression analyses to obtain effect estimates that accounted for the sampling design. For rare variants, we applied 2 approaches: collapsed aggregate statistics and joint analysis of variants using the sequence kernel association test.

CONCLUSIONS: We sequenced 77 genomic loci in participants from 3 cohorts. We established a set of filters to identify high-quality variants and implemented statistical and bioinformatics strategies to analyze the sequence data and identify potentially functional variants within genome-wide association study loci.

}, keywords = {Adult, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Aging, Cohort Studies, Female, Genetic Variation, Genome-Wide Association Study, Genomics, Heart Diseases, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide, Research Design, Sequence Analysis, DNA}, issn = {1942-3268}, doi = {10.1161/CIRCGENETICS.113.000350}, author = {Lin, Honghuang and Wang, Min and Brody, Jennifer A and Bis, Joshua C and Dupuis, Jos{\'e}e and Lumley, Thomas and McKnight, Barbara and Rice, Kenneth M and Sitlani, Colleen M and Reid, Jeffrey G and Bressler, Jan and Liu, Xiaoming and Davis, Brian C and Johnson, Andrew D and O{\textquoteright}Donnell, Christopher J and Kovar, Christie L and Dinh, Huyen and Wu, Yuanqing and Newsham, Irene and Chen, Han and Broka, Andi and DeStefano, Anita L and Gupta, Mayetri and Lunetta, Kathryn L and Liu, Ching-Ti and White, Charles C and Xing, Chuanhua and Zhou, Yanhua and Benjamin, Emelia J and Schnabel, Renate B and Heckbert, Susan R and Psaty, Bruce M and Muzny, Donna M and Cupples, L Adrienne and Morrison, Alanna C and Boerwinkle, Eric} } @article {8639, title = {Whole genome sequence analysis of pulmonary function and COPD in 19,996 multi-ethnic participants.}, journal = {Nat Commun}, volume = {11}, year = {2020}, month = {2020 10 14}, pages = {5182}, abstract = {

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), diagnosed by reduced lung function, is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. We performed whole genome sequence (WGS) analysis of lung function and COPD in a multi-ethnic sample of 11,497 participants from population- and family-based studies, and 8499 individuals from COPD-enriched studies in the NHLBI Trans-Omics for Precision Medicine (TOPMed) Program. We identify at genome-wide significance 10 known GWAS loci and 22 distinct, previously unreported loci, including two common variant signals from stratified analysis of African Americans. Four novel common variants within the regions of PIAS1, RGN (two variants) and FTO show evidence of replication in the UK Biobank (European ancestry n ~ 320,000), while colocalization analyses leveraging multi-omic data from GTEx and TOPMed identify potential molecular mechanisms underlying four of the 22 novel loci. Our study demonstrates the value of performing WGS analyses and multi-omic follow-up in cohorts of diverse ancestry.

}, keywords = {Adult, African Americans, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Alpha-Ketoglutarate-Dependent Dioxygenase FTO, Calcium-Binding Proteins, Feasibility Studies, Female, Follow-Up Studies, Genetic Loci, Genetic Predisposition to Disease, Genome-Wide Association Study, Humans, Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins, Lung, Male, Middle Aged, Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide, Protein Inhibitors of Activated STAT, Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive, Respiratory Physiological Phenomena, Small Ubiquitin-Related Modifier Proteins, Whole Genome Sequencing}, issn = {2041-1723}, doi = {10.1038/s41467-020-18334-7}, author = {Zhao, Xutong and Qiao, Dandi and Yang, Chaojie and Kasela, Silva and Kim, Wonji and Ma, Yanlin and Shrine, Nick and Batini, Chiara and Sofer, Tamar and Taliun, Sarah A Gagliano and Sakornsakolpat, Phuwanat and Balte, Pallavi P and Prokopenko, Dmitry and Yu, Bing and Lange, Leslie A and Dupuis, Jos{\'e}e and Cade, Brian E and Lee, Jiwon and Gharib, Sina A and Daya, Michelle and Laurie, Cecelia A and Ruczinski, Ingo and Cupples, L Adrienne and Loehr, Laura R and Bartz, Traci M and Morrison, Alanna C and Psaty, Bruce M and Vasan, Ramachandran S and Wilson, James G and Taylor, Kent D and Durda, Peter and Johnson, W Craig and Cornell, Elaine and Guo, Xiuqing and Liu, Yongmei and Tracy, Russell P and Ardlie, Kristin G and Aguet, Francois and VanDenBerg, David J and Papanicolaou, George J and Rotter, Jerome I and Barnes, Kathleen C and Jain, Deepti and Nickerson, Deborah A and Muzny, Donna M and Metcalf, Ginger A and Doddapaneni, Harshavardhan and Dugan-Perez, Shannon and Gupta, Namrata and Gabriel, Stacey and Rich, Stephen S and O{\textquoteright}Connor, George T and Redline, Susan and Reed, Robert M and Laurie, Cathy C and Daviglus, Martha L and Preudhomme, Liana K and Burkart, Kristin M and Kaplan, Robert C and Wain, Louise V and Tobin, Martin D and London, Stephanie J and Lappalainen, Tuuli and Oelsner, Elizabeth C and Abecasis, Goncalo R and Silverman, Edwin K and Barr, R Graham and Cho, Michael H and Manichaikul, Ani} }