Dataset Information

Meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies of gestational duration and spontaneous preterm birth identifies new maternal risk loci.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Preterm birth (<37 weeks of gestation) is a major cause of neonatal death and morbidity. Up to 40% of the variation in timing of birth results from genetic factors, mostly due to the maternal genome.

Methods

We conducted a genome-wide meta-analysis of gestational duration and spontaneous preterm birth in 68,732 and 98,370 European mothers, respectively.

Results

The meta-analysis detected 15 loci associated with gestational duration, and four loci associated with preterm birth. Seven of the associated loci were novel. The loci mapped to several biologically plausible genes, for example HAND2 whose expression was previously shown to decrease during gestation, associated with gestational duration, and GC (Vitamin D-binding protein), associated with preterm birth. Downstream in silico-analysis suggested regulatory roles as underlying mechanisms for the associated loci. LD score regression found birth weight measures as the most strongly correlated traits, highlighting the unique nature of spontaneous preterm birth phenotype. Tissue expression and colocalization analysis revealed reproductive tissues and immune cell types as the most relevant sites of action.

Conclusion

We report novel genetic risk loci that associate with preterm birth or gestational duration, and reproduce findings from previous genome-wide association studies. Altogether, our findings provide new insight into the genetic background of preterm birth. Better characterization of the causal genetic mechanisms will be important to public health as it could suggest new strategies to treat and prevent preterm birth.

SUBMITTER: Pasanen A

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10621942 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies of gestational duration and spontaneous preterm birth identifies new maternal risk loci.

Pasanen Anu A Karjalainen Minna K MK Zhang Ge G Tiensuu Heli H Haapalainen Antti M AM Ojaniemi Marja M Feenstra Bjarke B Jacobsson Bo B Palotie Aarno A Laivuori Hannele H Muglia Louis J LJ Rämet Mika M Hallman Mikko M

PLoS genetics 20231023 10

<h4>Background</h4>Preterm birth (<37 weeks of gestation) is a major cause of neonatal death and morbidity. Up to 40% of the variation in timing of birth results from genetic factors, mostly due to the maternal genome.<h4>Methods</h4>We conducted a genome-wide meta-analysis of gestational duration and spontaneous preterm birth in 68,732 and 98,370 European mothers, respectively.<h4>Results</h4>The meta-analysis detected 15 loci associated with gestational duration, and four loci associated with ...[more]

PMID: 37871108

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Project description:BackgroundMaternal stress is potentially a modifiable risk factor for spontaneous preterm birth (sPTB). However, epidemiologic findings on the maternal stress-sPTB relationship have been inconsistent.MethodsTo investigate whether the maternal stress-sPTB associations may be modified by genetic susceptibility, we performed genome-wide gene × stress interaction analyses in 1490 African-American women from the Boston Birth cohort who delivered term (n = 1033) or preterm (n = 457) infants. Genotyping was performed using Illumina HumanOmni 2.5 array. Replication was performed using data from the NICHD genomic and Proteomic Network (GPN) for PTB research.Resultsrs35331017, a T-allele insertion/deletion polymorphism in the protein-tyrosine phosphatase receptor Type D (PTPRD) gene, was the top hit that interacted significantly with maternal lifetime stress on risk of sPTB (PG × E = 4.7 × 10-8). We revealed a dose-responsive association between degree of stress and risk of sPTB in mothers carrying the insertion/insertion genotype, but an inverse association was observed in mothers carrying the heterozygous or deletion/deletion genotypes. This interaction was replicated in African-American (PG × E = 0.088) and Caucasian mothers (PG × E = 0.023) from the GPN study.ConclusionWe demonstrated a significant maternal PTPRD × stress interaction on sPTB risk. This finding, if further confirmed, may provide new insight into individual susceptibility to stress-induced sPTB.ImpactThis was the first preterm study to demonstrate a significant genome-wide gene-stress interaction in African Americans, specifically, PTPRD gene variants can interact with maternal perceived stress to affect risk of spontaneous preterm birth. The PTPRD × maternal stress interaction was demonstrated in African Americans and replicated in both African Americans and Caucasians from the GPN study. Our findings highlight the importance of considering genetic susceptibility in assessing the role of maternal stress on spontaneous preterm birth.

Project description:BackgroundCopper (Cu), an essential trace mineral regulating multiple actions of inflammation and oxidative stress, has been implicated in risk for preterm birth (PTB).ObjectivesThis study aimed to determine the association of maternal Cu concentration during pregnancy with PTB risk and gestational duration in a large multicohort study including diverse populations.MethodsMaternal plasma or serum samples of 10,449 singleton live births were obtained from 18 geographically diverse study cohorts. Maternal Cu concentrations were determined using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The associations of maternal Cu with PTB and gestational duration were analyzed using logistic and linear regressions for each cohort. The estimates were then combined using meta-analysis. Associations between maternal Cu and acute-phase reactants (APRs) and infection status were analyzed in 1239 samples from the Malawi cohort.ResultsThe maternal prenatal Cu concentration in our study samples followed normal distribution with mean of 1.92 μg/mL and standard deviation of 0.43 μg/mL, and Cu concentrations increased with gestational age up to 20 wk. The random-effect meta-analysis across 18 cohorts revealed that 1 μg/mL increase in maternal Cu concentration was associated with higher risk of PTB with odds ratio of 1.30 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.08, 1.57) and shorter gestational duration of 1.64 d (95% CI: 0.56, 2.73). In the Malawi cohort, higher maternal Cu concentration, concentrations of multiple APRs, and infections (malaria and HIV) were correlated and associated with greater risk of PTB and shorter gestational duration.ConclusionsOur study supports robust negative association between maternal Cu and gestational duration and positive association with risk for PTB. Cu concentration was strongly correlated with APRs and infection status suggesting its potential role in inflammation, a pathway implicated in the mechanisms of PTB. Therefore, maternal Cu could be used as potential marker of integrated inflammatory pathways during pregnancy and risk for PTB.

Project description:BACKGROUND:Amniotic fluid is clinically accessible via amniocentesis and its protein composition may correspond to birth timing. Early changes in the amniotic fluid proteome could therefore be associated with the subsequent development of spontaneous preterm delivery. OBJECTIVE:The main objective of this study was to perform unbiased proteomics analysis of the association between mid-trimester amniotic fluid proteome and spontaneous preterm delivery and gestational duration, respectively. A secondary objective was to validate and replicate the findings by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay using a second independent cohort. METHODS:Women undergoing a mid-trimester genetic amniocentesis at Sahlgrenska University Hospital/Östra between September 2008 and September 2011 were enrolled in this study, designed in three analytical stages; 1) an unbiased proteomic discovery phase using LC-MS analysis of 22 women with subsequent spontaneous preterm delivery (cases) and 37 women who delivered at term (controls), 2) a validation phase of proteins of interest identified in stage 1, and 3) a replication phase of the proteins that passed validation using a second independent cohort consisting of 20 cases and 40 matched controls. RESULTS:Nine proteins were nominally significantly associated with both spontaneous preterm delivery and gestational duration, after adjustment for gestational age at sampling, but none of the proteins were significant after correction for multiple testing. Several of these proteins have previously been described as being associated with spontaneous PTD etiology and six of them were thus validated using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. Two of the proteins passed validation; Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin and plasminogen activator inhibitor 1, but the results could not be replicated in a second cohort. CONCLUSIONS:Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin and Plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 are potential biomarkers of spontaneous preterm delivery and gestational duration but the findings could not be replicated. The negative findings are supported by the fact that none of the nine proteins from the exploratory phase were significant after correction for multiple testing.

Dataset Information

Meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies of gestational duration and spontaneous preterm birth identifies new maternal risk loci.

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusion

Publications

Meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies of gestational duration and spontaneous preterm birth identifies new maternal risk loci.

Similar Datasets

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