Discovery and fine-mapping of glycaemic and obesity-related trait loci using high-density imputation

Reference panels from the 1000 Genomes (1000G) Project Consortium provide near complete coverage of common and low-frequency genetic variation with minor allele frequency ≥0.5% across European ancestry populations. Within the European Network for Genetic and Genomic Epidemiology (ENGAGE) Consortium, we have undertaken the first large-scale meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies (GWAS), supplemented by 1000G imputation, for four quantitative glycaemic and obesity-related traits, in up to 87,048 individuals of European ancestry. We identified two loci for body mass index (BMI) at genome-wide significance, and two for fasting glucose (FG), none of which has been previously reported in larger meta-analysis efforts to combine GWAS of European ancestry. Through conditional analysis, we also detected multiple distinct signals of association mapping to established loci for waist-hip ratio adjusted for BMI (RSPO3) and FG (GCK and G6PC2). The index variant for one association signal at the G6PC2 locus is a low-frequency coding allele, H177Y, which has recently been demonstrated to have a functional role in glucose regulation. Fine-mapping analyses revealed that the non-coding variants most likely to drive association signals at established and novel loci were enriched for overlap with enhancer elements, which for FG mapped to promoter and transcription factor binding sites in pancreatic islets, in particular. Our study demonstrates that 1000G imputation and genetic fine-mapping of common and low-frequency variant association signals at GWAS loci, integrated with genomic annotation in relevant tissues, can provide insight into the functional and regulatory mechanisms through which their effects on glycaemic and obesity-related traits are mediated

Discovery and Fine-Mapping of Glycaemic and Obesity-Related Trait Loci Using High-Density Imputation

Reference panels from the 1000 Genomes (1000G) Project Consortium provide near complete coverage of common and low-frequency genetic variation with minor allele frequency ≥0.5% across European ancestry populations. Within the European Network for Genetic and Genomic Epidemiology (ENGAGE) Consortium, we have undertaken the fi

Mangrove litter fall in north-eastern Australia. 1. Annual totals by component in selected species

Annual totals of the components of litter fall (leaves reproductive parts, stipules, wood and residual debris) are presented for Rhizophora apiculata, R. lamarckii, R. stylosa, Sonneratia alba, Avicennia sp., Ceriops tagal, Bruguiera gymnorrhiza and B. parviflora from a large number of sites at Hinchinbrook Island, northeastern Australia. Total annual litter fall ranged among all species from 3.8 to 19.6 t ha-1. The mean value among the Rhizophora spp. was 9.6 t ha-1 yr-1. Leaves generally made up the most important component of all litter materials. The results are compared with records in the literature for tidal and non-tidal forests elsewhere in the tropics

Mangrove litter fall in north eastern Australia. 2. Periodicity

Fourier analysis was used to demonstrate distinctive seasonal patterns of leaf litter fall in the mangrove species Rhizophora apiculata, R. stylosa and R. lamarckii. Similar treatment of data for stipule fall was not successful, indicating that this process may be controlled by random events. The fall of leaves and reproductive parts appears to be correlated with climatic factors, notably rainfall, in a fashion that varies with species. Seasonal trends without Fourier analysis are described for Sonneratia alba, Bruguiera gymnorrhiza, B. parviflora, Avicennia sp. and Ceriops tagal in terms of leaves and reproductive parts, and for leaves only in Excoecaria agallocha, Xylocarpus granatum, Heritiera littoralis, Lumnitzera racemosa and L. littorea

Lumnitzera rosea (Combretaceae) - its status and floral morphology

Three forms of Lumnitzera (Combretaceae) are known to us in Queensland. Two are clearly the common and widespread mangrove species L. littorea, with scarlet flowers, and L. racemosa, with white flowers. The third form is intermediate (e.g., it has pink flowers) and is very local in distribution. The identity of this third form is the substance of this paper and is set against the background of a description of floral morphology and pollination biology in the genus