Whole exome sequence-based association analyses of plasma amyloid-β in African and European Americans; the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities-Neurocognitive Study.

TitleWhole exome sequence-based association analyses of plasma amyloid-β in African and European Americans; the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities-Neurocognitive Study.
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2017
AuthorsSimino, J, Wang, Z, Bressler, J, Chouraki, V, Yang, Q, Younkin, SG, Seshadri, S, Fornage, M, Boerwinkle, E, Mosley, TH
JournalPLoS One
Volume12
Issue7
Paginatione0180046
Date Published2017
ISSN1932-6203
KeywordsAged, Amyloid beta-Peptides, Black or African American, Exome, Female, Gene Regulatory Networks, Genome-Wide Association Study, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide, Sequence Analysis, DNA, United States, White People
Abstract

OBJECTIVE: We performed single-variant and gene-based association analyses of plasma amyloid-β (aβ) concentrations using whole exome sequence from 1,414 African and European Americans. Our goal was to identify genes that influence plasma aβ42 concentrations and aβ42:aβ40 ratios in late middle age (mean = 59 years), old age (mean = 77 years), or change over time (mean = 18 years).METHODS: Plasma aβ measures were linearly regressed onto age, gender, APOE ε4 carrier status, and time elapsed between visits (fold-changes only) separately by race. Following inverse normal transformation of the residuals, seqMeta was used to conduct race-specific single-variant and gene-based association tests while adjusting for population structure. Linear regression models were fit on autosomal variants with minor allele frequencies (MAF)≥1%. T5 burden and Sequence Kernel Association (SKAT) gene-based tests assessed functional variants with MAF≤5%. Cross-race fixed effects meta-analyses were Bonferroni-corrected for the number of variants or genes tested.RESULTS: Seven genes were associated with aβ in late middle age or change over time; no associations were identified in old age. Single variants in KLKB1 (rs3733402; p = 4.33x10-10) and F12 (rs1801020; p = 3.89x10-8) were significantly associated with midlife aβ42 levels through cross-race meta-analysis; the KLKB1 variant replicated internally using 1,014 additional participants with exome chip. ITPRIP, PLIN2, and TSPAN18 were associated with the midlife aβ42:aβ40 ratio via the T5 test; TSPAN18 was significant via the cross-race meta-analysis, whereas ITPRIP and PLIN2 were European American-specific. NCOA1 and NT5C3B were associated with the midlife aβ42:aβ40 ratio and the fold-change in aβ42, respectively, via SKAT in African Americans. No associations replicated externally (N = 725).CONCLUSION: We discovered age-dependent genetic effects, established associations between vascular-related genes (KLKB1, F12, PLIN2) and midlife plasma aβ levels, and identified a plausible Alzheimer's Disease candidate gene (ITPRIP) influencing cell death. Plasma aβ concentrations may have dynamic biological determinants across the lifespan; plasma aβ study designs or analyses must consider age.

DOI10.1371/journal.pone.0180046
Alternate JournalPLoS One
PubMed ID28704393
PubMed Central IDPMC5509141
Grant ListHHSN268201100009I / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
R01 AG054076 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States
HHSN268201100010C / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
HHSN268201100008C / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
HHSN268201100007C / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
HHSN268201100011I / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
HHSN268201100011C / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
U01 HL096902 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
R01 AG033193 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States
HHSN268201100005I / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
HHSN268201500001I / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
U01 HL096814 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
U01 AG052409 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States
U01 AG049505 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States
HHSN268201100012C / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
RC2 HL102419 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
U01 HL096812 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
R01 NS017950 / NS / NINDS NIH HHS / United States
HHSN268201500001C / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
HHSN268201100005G / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
U01 HL096917 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
HHSN268201100008I / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
U54 HG003273 / HG / NHGRI NIH HHS / United States
R01 AG049607 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States
HHSN268201100006C / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
R01 AG008122 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States
HHSN268201100009C / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
R01 HL070825 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
HHSN268201100005C / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
UH2 NS100605 / NS / NINDS NIH HHS / United States
U01 HL096899 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
HHSN268201100007I / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
P30 AG010129 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States

Similar Publications