A meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies identifies multiple longevity genes

Human longevity is heritable, but genome-wide association (GWA) studies have had limited success. Here, we perform two meta-analyses of GWA studies of a rigorous longevity phenotype definition including 11,262/3484 cases surviving at or beyond the age corresponding to the 90th/99th survival percentile, respectively, and 25,483 controls whose age at death or at last contact was at or below the age corresponding to the 60th survival percentile. Consistent with previous reports, rs429358 (apolipoprotein E (ApoE) ε4) is associated with lower odds of surviving to the 90th and 99th percentile age, while rs7412 (ApoE ε2) shows the opposite. Moreover, rs7676745, located near GPR78, associates with lower odds of surviving to the 90th percentile age. Gene-level association analysis reveals a role for tissue-specific expression of multiple genes in longevity. Finally, genetic correlation of the longevity GWA results with that of several disease-related phenotypes points to a shared genetic architecture between health and longevity

Concerns about global phosphorus demand for lithium-iron-phosphate batteries in the light electric vehicle sector

Industrial Ecolog

Novel genetic variants linked to coronary artery disease by genome-wide association are not associated with carotid artery intima-media thickness or intermediate risk phenotypes

BACKGROUND: It is uncertain whether the novel single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that have recently been associated with coronary artery disease (CAD) in genome-wide studies also influence carotid atheroma and stroke risk. The mechanisms of their association with CAD are unknown; relationships to other cardiovascular phenotypes may give mechanistic clues. Carotid artery intima-media thickness (CIMT) is a subclinical marker of atherosclerosis associated with stroke. We investigated association of reported CAD risk variants with CIMT, and with other intermediate phenotypes that may implicate causative pathways. METHODS: We studied 1425 members of 248 British Caucasian families ascertained through a hypertensive proband. We genotyped CAD risk SNPs on chromosomes 9 (rs1333049, rs7044859, rs496892, rs7865618), 6 (rs6922269) and 2 (rs2943634) using TaqMan. Merlin software was used for family-based association testing. RESULTS: No significant association was found between genotype at any SNP and CIMT in 846 individuals with acceptable measurements. Nor were SNPs significantly associated with blood pressure, obesity, cholesterol, CRP, interleukin-6, TNF-alpha, or leptin. CONCLUSIONS: These novel CAD variants are not associated with CIMT and do not appear to mediate the risk of atherothrombosis through known risk factors

Towards our phosphorus future

There are abundant opportunities to transition towards more sustainable phosphorus use. Taken collectively, these solutions unlock multiple environmental and societal benefits. Actions must be delivered cooperatively, as part of an integrated plan across sectors and scales. Indeed, coordinated action on phosphorus to support governments, existing conventions, and inter-governmental frameworks, as well as stakeholders, to catalyse improvements in phosphorus sustainability is urgently required. An inter-conventional coordination mechanism to address fragmented phosphorus policy is proposed

Publisher Correction: A meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies identifies multiple longevity genes (Nature Communications, (2019), 10, 1, (3669), 10.1038/s41467-019-11558-2)

© 2021, The Author(s).The original version of this Article contained an error in Fig. 1c, in which the top SNP was incorrectly labelled ‘rs4293358’. The correct label is ‘rs429358’. This has been corrected in both the PDF and HTML versions of the Article