Large trans-ethnic meta-analysis identifies AKR1C4 as a novel gene associated with age at menarche.

ABSTRACT:

Study question

Does the expansion of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) to a broader range of ancestries improve the ability to identify and generalise variants associated with age at menarche (AAM) in European populations to a wider range of world populations?

Summary answer

By including women with diverse and predominantly non-European ancestry in a large-scale meta-analysis of AAM with half of the women being of African ancestry, we identified a new locus associated with AAM in African-ancestry participants, and generalised loci from GWAS of European ancestry individuals.

What is known already

AAM is a highly polygenic puberty trait associated with various diseases later in life. Both AAM and diseases associated with puberty timing vary by race or ethnicity. Th

SUBMITTER: Sarnowski C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8213450 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature