Genome-wide analyses of individual differences in quantitatively assessed reading- and language-related skills in up to 34,000 people

The use of spoken and written language is a fundamental human capacity. Individual differences in reading- and language-related skills are influenced by genetic variation, with twin-based heritability estimates of 30 to 80% depending on the trait. The genetic architecture is complex, heterogeneous, and multifactorial, but investigations of contributions of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were thus far underpowered. We present a multicohort genome-wide association study (GWAS) of five traits assessed individually using psychometric measures (word reading, nonword reading, spelling, phoneme awareness, and nonword repetition) in samples of 13,633 to 33,959 participants aged 5 to 26 y. We identified genome-wide significant association with word reading (rs11208009, P = 1.098 x 10(-8)) at a locus that has not been associated with intelligence or educational attainment. All five reading-/language-related traits showed robust SNP heritability, accounting for 13 to 26% of trait variability. Genomic structural equation modeling revealed a shared genetic factor explaining most of the variation in word/nonword reading, spelling, and phoneme awareness, which only partially overlapped with genetic variation contributing to nonword repetition, intelligence, and educational attainment. A multivariate GWAS of word/nonword reading, spelling, and phoneme awareness maximized power for follow-up investigation. Genetic correlation analysis with neuroimaging traits identified an association with the surface area of the banks of the left superior temporal sulcus, a brain region linked to the processing of spoken and written language. Heritability was enriched for genomic elements regulating gene expression in the fetal brain and in chromosomal regions that are depleted of Neanderthal variants. Together, these results provide avenues for deciphering the biological underpinnings of uniquely human traits.Peer reviewe

Common variants in Alzheimer's disease and risk stratification by polygenic risk scores.

Funder: Funder: Fundación bancaria ‘La Caixa’ Number: LCF/PR/PR16/51110003 Funder: Grifols SA Number: LCF/PR/PR16/51110003 Funder: European Union/EFPIA Innovative Medicines Initiative Joint Number: 115975 Funder: JPco-fuND FP-829-029 Number: 733051061Genetic discoveries of Alzheimer's disease are the drivers of our understanding, and together with polygenetic risk stratification can contribute towards planning of feasible and efficient preventive and curative clinical trials. We first perform a large genetic association study by merging all available case-control datasets and by-proxy study results (discovery n = 409,435 and validation size n = 58,190). Here, we add six variants associated with Alzheimer's disease risk (near APP, CHRNE, PRKD3/NDUFAF7, PLCG2 and two exonic variants in the SHARPIN gene). Assessment of the polygenic risk score and stratifying by APOE reveal a 4 to 5.5 years difference in median age at onset of Alzheimer's disease patients in APOE ɛ4 carriers. Because of this study, the underlying mechanisms of APP can be studied to refine the amyloid cascade and the polygenic risk score provides a tool to select individuals at high risk of Alzheimer's disease

Analysis of shared heritability in common disorders of the brain

Paroxysmal Cerebral Disorder

Genomic Dissection of Bipolar Disorder and Schizophrenia, Including 28 Subphenotypes

publisher: Elsevier articletitle: Genomic Dissection of Bipolar Disorder and Schizophrenia, Including 28 Subphenotypes journaltitle: Cell articlelink: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2018.05.046 content_type: article copyright: © 2018 Elsevier Inc

Meta-analysis of association between the 5-HT2a receptor T102C polymorphism and schizophrenia.

We have reported data from the European Multicentre Association Study of Schizophrenia (EMASS) which showed an association between schizophrenia and allele 2 (C) of the T102C polymorphism in exon 1 of the gene encoding the 5-hydroxytryptamine type 2a- (5-HT2a) receptor.1 The study involved 1210 individuals (571 patients and 639 ethnically matched controls) recruited from seven European countries, and replicated previous findings from a smaller Japanese sample.1 Further studies have been published2, 3, 4 and 5 most of which have been interpreted as offering little support for an association. However, our finding suggests that we have detected a small effect that might require a very large sample to replicate. Indeed, this was the reason why EMASS was established, to provide a large sample with adequate statistical power. We have done a meta-analysis of all published association studies between schizophrenia and the 5-HT2a T102C polymorphism. The meta-analysis included 15 studies (1533 patients and 1771 controls) of which seven made up the EMASS Collaboration. With the Woolf method1 of analysis we found a significant excess of allele 2 in patients (X 2-tests, p=0·0009, odds ratio=1·18, 95% CI=1·07-1·31) with no evidence of heterogeneity between studies (p=0·7 [the German EMASS sample and the Erdmann sample3 originate from the same population and were combined for this analysis]). A funnel plot of these studies (German groups combined) has an inverted funnel shape; it shows no evidence of a failure to publish small studies with low odds ratios, thus suggesting an absence of publication bias. We conclude that combining all available data gives increased evidence of an association between schizophrenia and allele 2 of the T102C 5-HT2a polymorphism. We have also detected a further polymorphism in an area of the gene, which may have functional significance, and seems to be in complete disequilibrium with T102C. This line of inquiry is being studied

An interstitial deletion of chromosome 7 at band q21: A case report and review

We report on a girl with moderate developmental delay and mild dysmorphic features. Cytogenetic investigations revealed a de novo interstitial deletion at the proximal dark band on the long arm of chromosome 7(7q21.1-q21.3) in all analyzed G-banded metaphases of lymphocytes and fibroblasts. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and molecular studies defined the breakpoints at 7q21.11 and 7q21.3 on the paternal chromosome 7, with the proximal deletion breakpoint between the elastin gene (localized at 7q11.23) and D7S2517, and the distal breakpoint between D7S652 and the COL1A2 gene (localized at 7q21.3-q22.1). Deletions of interstitial segments at the proximal long arm of chromosome 7 at q21 are relatively rare. The karyotype-phenotype correlation of these patients is reviewed and discussed. The clinical findings of patients with a deletion at 7q21 significantly overlap with those of patients with maternal uniparental disomy of chromosome 7 (matUPD(7)) and Silver-Russell syndrome (SRS, OMIM 180860). Therefore, 7q21 might be considered a candidate chromosomal region for matUPD(7) and SRS

Functional analysis of splice site mutations in the human hairless (HR) gene using a minigene assay

Background Congenital atrichia is a rare autosomal recessive form of isolated alopecia which is caused by mutations in the human hairless (HR) gene. Patients are born with normal hair that is shed almost completely and irreversibly during the first weeks of life. Objectives To investigate the molecular genetic basis of congenital atrichia in two patients, and to analyse the functional consequences of one newly identified and all seven previously identified HR splice site mutations using a minigene assay. Methods Molecular analysis of the HR gene was performed by direct DNA sequencing. To analyse the functional consequences of the splice site mutations, the respective sequences were cloned into a vector which allows directed splicing. After transfection of COS7 cells, isolation of RNA and cDNA synthesis, sequencing was performed to analyse the products. Results Two novel mutations were identified: an insertion in exon 2 (c.485insT; p.C162LfsX17), and a splice site mutation (c.2847-1G>A). In vitro analysis revealed aberrant splicing for all eight of the investigated HR splice site mutations. Comparison with the results of two biocomputational programs (neural network splice server and CRYP-SKIP) and calculation of consensus values revealed that the predictions of these two programs were consistent in only five and two of the eight mutations, respectively. Conclusions This is the first report to analyse the consequences of HR splice site mutations using a cell-based in vitro assay. The results highlight the importance of performing splicing experiments to clarify the consequences of putative splice site mutations

Breast and prostate cancer risk: the interplay of polygenic risk, high-impact monogenic variants, and family history 2021.06.04.21258277

Purpose: Investigate to which extent polygenic risk scores (PRS), high-impact monogenic variants, and family history affect breast and prostate cancer risk by assessing cancer prevalence and cancer cumulative lifetime incidence. Methods 200,643 individuals from the UK Biobank were stratified as follows: 1. carriers or non-carriers of high impact constitutive, monogenic variants in cancer susceptibility genes, 2. high or non-high PRS (90th percentile threshold), 3. with or without a family history of cancer. Multivariable logistic regression was used to compare the odds ratio (OR) across the different groups while Cox proportional hazards models were used to compute the cumulative incidence through life. Results Breast and prostate cancer cumulative incidence by age 70 is 7 and 5 for non-carriers with non-high PRS and reaches 37 and 32 among carriers of high-impact variants in cancer susceptibility genes with high PRS. The additional presence of family history is associated with a further increase of the risk of developing cancer reaching an OR of 14 and 21 for breast and prostate cancer, respectively. Conclusion: High PRS confers a cancer risk comparable to high-impact monogenic variants. Family history, monogenic variants, and PRS contribute additively to breast and prostate cancer risk

A common risk variant in CACNA1C supports a sex-dependent effect on longitudinal functioning and functional recovery from episodes of schizophrenia-spectrum but not bipolar disorder

Sex is a powerful modulator of disease susceptibility, course and outcome. The gene CACNA1C is among the best replicated vulnerability genes of bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether sex and a variant in CACNA1C (rs10774035 as a proxy for the well-acknowledged risk variant rs1006737) influence psychosocial adaptation in a large German patient sample with schizophrenia-spectrum (n=297) and bipolar (n=516) disorders. We analyzed Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) scores, retrospectively collected for different time points during disease course. We investigated whether CACNA1C sex-dependently modulates longitudinal GAF scores and recovery from episodes of psychiatric disturbance in the above mentioned disorders. Psychosocial recovery was measured as difference score between the current GAF score (assessing the last remission) and the worst GAF score ever during an illness episode. Covariate- adjusted association analyses revealed a sex x rs10774035 genotype interaction on longitudinal GAF and recovery from illness episodes only in schizophrenia-spectrum but not in bipolar disorders. In schizophrenia-spectrum affected males, rs10774035 minor allele (T) carriers had higher GAF scores at three time points (premorbid, worst ever, current). In contrast, females carrying rs10774035 minor alleles had impaired recovery from schizophrenia-spectrum episodes. These results encourage further investigations of gene x sex interactions and longitudinal quantitative phenotypes to unravel the rich variety of behavioral consequences of genetic individuality