Minority-centric meta-analyses of blood lipid levels identify novel loci in the Population Architecture using Genomics and Epidemiology (PAGE) study

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Abstract

Lipid levels are important markers for the development of cardio-metabolic diseases. Although hundreds of associated loci have been identified through genetic association studies, the contribution of genetic factors to variation in lipids is not fully understood, particularly in U.S. minority groups. We performed genome-wide association analyses for four lipid traits in over 45,000 ancestrally diverse participants from the Population Architecture using Genomics and Epidemiology (PAGE) Study, followed by a meta-analysis with several European ancestry studies. We identified nine novel lipid loci, five of which showed evidence of replication in independent studies. Furthermore, we discovered one novel gene in a PrediXcan analysis, minority-specific independent signals at eight previously reported loci, and potential functional variants at two known loci through fine-mapping. Systematic examination of known lipid loci revealed smaller effect estimates in African American and Hispanic ancestry populations than those in Europeans, and better performance of polygenic risk scores based on minority-specific effect estimates. Our findings provide new insight into the genetic architecture of lipid traits and highlight the importance of conducting genetic studies in diverse populations in the era of precision medicine.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article numbere1008684
JournalPLoS genetics
Volume16
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 1 2020

Funding

The PAGE program is funded by the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) with co-funding from the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD). The contents of this paper are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH. The PAGE consortium thanks the staff and participants of all PAGE studies for their important contributions. We thank Rasheeda Williams and Margaret Ginoza for providing assistance with program coordination. The complete list of PAGE members can be found at http://www.pagestudy.org. Assistance with data management, data integration, data dissemination, genotype imputation, ancestry deconvolution, population genetics, analysis pipelines, and general study coordination was provided by the PAGE Coordinating Center (NIH U01HG007419). Genotyping services were provided by the Center for Inherited Disease Research (CIDR). CIDR is fully funded through a federal contract from the National Institutes of Health to The Johns Hopkins University, contract number HHSN268201200008I. Genotype data quality control and quality assurance services were provided by the Genetic Analysis Center in the Biostatistics Department of the University of Washington, through support provided by the CIDR contract. The current study included participants from BioMe, HCHS/SOL, MEC and WHI. BioMe: Data of BioMe Biobank used in this study was provided by the Charles Bronfman Institute for Personalized Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Phenotype data collection was supported by the Andrea and Charles Bronfman Philanthropies. Funding support for the PAGE BioMe study was provided through the National Human Genome Research Institute (NIH U01HG007417). HCHS/SOL: Primary funding support to Dr. North and colleagues is provided by U01HG007416. Additional support was provided via R01DK101855 and 15GRNT25880008. The HCHS/SOL study was carried out as a collaborative study supported by contracts from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) to the University of North Carolina (N01-HC65233), University of Miami (N01-HC65234), Albert Einstein College of Medicine (N01-HC65235), Northwestern University (N01-HC65236), and San Diego State University (N01-HC65237). The following Institutes/Centers/Offices contribute to the HCHS/SOL through a transfer of funds to the NHLBI: NIMHD, National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, NIH Institution-Office of Dietary Supplements. MEC: The epidemiological architecture of the MEC study is funded through the NHGRI PAGE program (NIH U01HG007397). The MEC study is funded through the National Cancer Institute U01CA164973. WHI: Funding support for the “Exonic variants and their relation to complex traits in minorities of the WHI” study is provided through the NHGRI PAGE program (NIH U01HG007376). The WHI program is funded by the NHLBI, NIH, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services through contracts HHSN268201100046C, HHSN268201100001C, HHSN268201100002C, HHSN268201100003C, HHSN268201100004C, and HHSN271201100004C. The authors thank the WHI investigators and staff for their dedication, and the study participants for making the program possible. A listing of WHI investigators can be found at: https://www.whi.org/researchers/ Documents%20%20Write%20a%20Paper/WHI% 20Investigator%20Long%20List.pdf. ARIC: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study has been funded in whole or in part with Federal funds from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services (contract numbers HHSN268201700001I, HHSN268201700002I, HHSN268201700003I, HHSN268201700004I and HHSN268201700005I), R01HL087641, R01HL086694; National Human Genome Research Institute contract U01HG004402; and National Institutes of Health contract HHSN268200625226C. The authors thank the staff and participants of the ARIC study for their important contributions. Infrastructure was partly supported by Grant Number UL1RR025005, a component of the National Institutes of Health and NIH Roadmap for Medical Research. CARDIA: The Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults Study (CARDIA) is conducted and supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) in collaboration with the University of Alabama at Birmingham (HHSN268201800005I & HHSN268201800007I), Northwestern University (HHSN268201800003I), University of Minnesota (HHSN268201800006I), and Kaiser Foundation Research Institute (HHSN268201800004I). This manuscript has been reviewed by CARDIA for scientific content. MVP: This research is based on data from the MVP, Office of Research and Development, Veterans Health Administration, and was supported by funding from the Department of Veterans Affairs of Research and Development, Million Veteran Program Grant (1I0101BX003340, 1I01BX003362, and 1I01CX001025) and the NIH (T32 HL007734, K01HL125751, R01HL127564). The content of this manuscript does not represent the views of the Department of Veterans Affairs or the United States Government. The eMERGE network (Phase I & II): the eMERGE Network was initiated and funded by NHGRI through the following grants: U01HG006828 (Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center/Boston Children's Hospital); U01HG006830 (Children's Hospital of Philadelphia); U01HG006389 (Essentia Institute of Rural Health, Marshfield Clinic Research Foundation and Pennsylvania State University); U01HG006382 (Geisinger Clinic); U01HG006375 (Group Health Cooperative/ University of Washington); U01HG006379 (Mayo Clinic); U01HG006380 (Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai); U01HG006388 (Northwestern University); U01HG006378 (Vanderbilt University Medical Center); and U01HG006385 (Vanderbilt University Medical Center serving as the Coordinating Center) with U01HG004438 (CIDR) and U01HG004424 (the Broad Institute) serving as Genotyping Centers. eMERGE network (Phase III): this phase of the eMERGE Network was initiated and funded by the NHGRI through the following grants: U01HG8657 (Kaiser Washington/University of Washington); U01HG8685 (Brigham and Women's Hospital); U01HG8672 (Vanderbilt University Medical Center); U01HG8666 (Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center); U01HG6379 (Mayo Clinic); U01HG8679 (Geisinger Clinic); U01HG8680 (Columbia University Health Sciences); U01HG8684 (Children's Hospital of Philadelphia); U01HG8673 (Northwestern University); U01HG8701 (Vanderbilt University Medical Center serving as the Coordinating Center); U01HG8676 (Partners Healthcare/Broad Institute); and U01HG8664 (Baylor College of Medicine). JHS: The Jackson Heart Study is supported and conducted in collaboration with Jackson State University (HHSN268201800013I), Tougaloo College (HHSN268201800014I), the Mississippi State Department of Health (HHSN268201800015I) and the University of Mississippi Medical Center (HHSN268201800010I, HHSN268201800011I and HHSN268201800012I) contracts from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) and the National Institute for Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD). The authors also wish to thank the staffs and participants of the JHS. The views expressed in this manuscript are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; the National Institutes of Health; or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. UKBB: This research has been conducted using the UK Biobank Resource (access number: 42680). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
  • Molecular Biology
  • Genetics
  • Genetics(clinical)
  • Cancer Research

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