Replication of genetic loci for ages at menarche and menopause in the multi-ethnic Population Architecture using Genomics and Epidemiology (PAGE) study.
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ABSTRACT: Do genetic associations identified in genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of age at menarche (AM) and age at natural menopause (ANM) replicate in women of diverse race/ancestry from the Population Architecture using Genomics and Epidemiology (PAGE) Study?We replicated GWAS reproductive trait single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in our European descent population and found that many SNPs were also associated with AM and ANM in populations of diverse ancestry.Menarche and menopause mark the reproductive lifespan in women and are important risk factors for chronic diseases including obesity, cardiovascular disease and cancer. Both events are believed to be influenced by environmental and genetic factors, and vary in populations differing by genetic ancestry and geography. Most genetic variants associated with these traits have been identified in GWAS of European-descent populations.A total of 42 251 women of diverse ancestry from PAGE were included in cross-sectional analyses of AM and ANM.SNPs previously associated with ANM (n = 5 SNPs) and AM (n = 3 SNPs) in GWAS were genotyped in American Indians, African Americans, Asians, European Americans, Hispanics and Native Hawaiians. To test SNP associations with ANM or AM, we used linear regression models stratified by race/ethnicity and PAGE sub-study. Results were then combined in race-specific fixed effect meta-analyses for each outcome. For replication and generalization analyses, significance was defined at P < 0.01 for ANM analyses and P < 0.017 for AM analyses.We replicated findings for AM SNPs in the LIN28B locus and an intergenic region on 9q31 in European Americans. The LIN28B SNPs (rs314277 and rs314280) were also significantly associated with AM in Asians, but not in other race/ethnicity groups. Linkage disequilibrium (LD) patterns at this locus varied widely among the ancestral groups. With the exception of an intergenic SNP at 13q34, all ANM SNPs replicated in European Americans. Three were significantly associated with ANM in other race/ethnicity populations: rs2153157 (6p24.2/SYCP2L), rs365132 (5q35/UIMC1) and rs16991615 (20p12.3/MCM8). While rs1172822 (19q13/BRSK1) was not significant in the populations of non-European descent, effect sizes showed similar trends.Lack of association for the GWAS SNPs in the non-European American groups may be due to differences in locus LD patterns between these groups and the European-descent populations included in the GWAS discovery studies; and in some cases, lower power may also contribute to non-significant findings.The discovery of genetic variants associated with the reproductive traits provides an important opportunity to elucidate the biological mechanisms involved with normal variation and disorders of menarche and menopause. In this study we replicated most, but not all reported SNPs in European descent populations and examined the epidemiologic architecture of these early reported variants, describing their generalizability and effect size across differing ancestral populations. Such data will be increasingly important for prioritizing GWAS SNPs for follow-up in fine-mapping and resequencing studies, as well as in translational research.
Replication of genetic loci for ages at menarche and menopause in the multi-ethnic Population Architecture using Genomics and Epidemiology (PAGE) study.
<h4>Study question</h4>Do genetic associations identified in genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of age at menarche (AM) and age at natural menopause (ANM) replicate in women of diverse race/ancestry from the Population Architecture using Genomics and Epidemiology (PAGE) Study?<h4>Summary answer</h4>We replicated GWAS reproductive trait single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in our European descent population and found that many SNPs were also associated with AM and ANM in populations of dive ...[more]
Project description:<p>By relating hundreds of thousands of genotypes to only a few phenotypes, mostly in individuals of one ancestry, genome-wide association (GWA) studies are identifying a rapidly growing number of associations. The Population Architecture using Genomics and Epidemiology (PAGE) Study is designed to further characterize the most promising variants along an epidemiological dimension that is substantial in its sample size, ethnic diversity, breadth of phenotypes, and exposures. PAGE includes scientists and population samples from large ongoing cohort studies: CALiCo (Causal Variants Across the Life Course, a consortium of ARIC, CARDIA, CHS, HCHS/SOL, Strong Heart Cohort Study, Strong Heart Family Study), EAGLE (Epidemiologic Architecture for Genes Linked to Environment, based on 3 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES), MEC (Multiethnic Cohort) and WHI (Women's Health Initiative), with logistical and scientific support contributed by a Coordinating Center and the NHGRI Office of Population Genomics. These studies combined include over 270,000 participants, and populations represented include Asian Americans, African Americans, European Americans, Hispanic Americans, Native Hawaiians and American Indians. Health outcomes and traits of interest are prioritized, followed by replication of trait-genotype associations and generalization of their effects across population groups and environmental contexts. </p> <p>The first phase of genotyping focused on 901 high-profile SNPs having replicated associations with phenotypes related to diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, lipids, cancers, menopause/menarche, inflammation and autoimmunity that are being genotyped in over 121,000 participants, as available for trait-specific analyses. SNP genotyping, quality control and population-specific association analyses are performed within each cohort, followed by meta-analyses using harmonized phenotypes and standardized analytic methods.</p> <p>The second phase of genotyping will be done using the Metabochip. The Metabochip is a custom large-scale (~200K SNPs) Illumina chip designed for association testing of several metabolic-related phenotypes. Genotyping will be performed at each study site and centralized analysis will be managed through the coordinating center.</p> <p>PAGE is generating 3 types of data: tier 1 (minimally curated phenotypes and analyses, all SNPs by all available phenotypes, used for Phenome-wide association study (PheWAS analysis)), tier 2 (carefully curated analyses of phenotypes available at only one of the four PAGE sites) and tier 3 (carefully curated phenotypes for multi-site analyses, data specifically generated for manuscripts). All tiers of data are submitted to the CC, where they undergo QC prior to submission to dbGaP.</p>