Maternal and fetal genetic effects on birth weight and their relevance to cardio-metabolic risk factors.

ABSTRACT: Birth weight variation is influenced by fetal and maternal genetic and non-genetic factors, and has been reproducibly associated with future cardio-metabolic health outcomes. In expanded genome-wide association analyses of own birth weight (n = 321,223) and offspring birth weight (n = 230,069 mothers), we identified 190 independent association signals (129 of which are novel). We used structural equation modeling to decompose the contributions of direct fetal and indirect maternal genetic effects, then applied Mendelian randomization to illuminate causal pathways. For example, both indirect maternal and direct fetal genetic effects drive the observational relationship between lower birth weight and higher later blood pressure: maternal blood pressure-raising alleles reduce offspring birth

SUBMITTER: Warrington NM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6522365 | biostudies-literature | 2019 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature