Search

Here, the authors perform a genome-wide study and identify a genetic variant enriched in the Finnish population that is strongly associated with isolated cleft palate. This finding suggests a genetic basis for the high prevalence of cleft palate in Finland.

A genome-wide association study identifies 17 genetic loci that are associated with the risk of myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs), and shows that the modulation of haematopoietic stem cell function drives MPN risk.

In a large and prospective cohort, higher polygenic risk is associated with higher risk and earlier age of onset for cardiometabolic disorders and cancer, and has added value to clinical risk scores in clinical disease prediction.

Genome-wide association studies of individuals from an isolated population (data from the Finnish biobank study FinnGen) and consequent meta-analyses facilitate the identification of previously unknown coding variant associations for both rare and common diseases.

The telomere position effect (TPE) can change gene expression at intermediate telomere lengths in cultured human cells, but it has not been previously implicated in disease pathogenesis. A gene implicated in facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) pathogenesis, and located adjacent to a chromosome end, is now shown to be upregulated in muscle cells with short telomeres, which suggests that TPE contributes to the late-onset phenotype of FSHD.

A genome-wide association study suggests 41 previously unreported loci on top of the 23 known loci that influence the disease risk for lumbar disc herniations. Many of these loci harbour genes implicated in disc structure and inflammation, as well as genes related to the nervous system and nerve function.

Meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies on Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias identifies new loci and enables generation of a new genetic risk score associated with the risk of future Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.

The influence of X chromosome genetic variation on blood lipids and coronary heart disease (CHD) is not well understood. Here, the authors analyse X chromosome sequencing data across 65,322 multi-ancestry individuals, identifying associations of the Xq23 locus with lipid changes and reduced risk of CHD and diabetes mellitus.

Narcolepsy has genetic and environmental risk factors, but the specific genetic risk loci and interaction with environmental triggers are not well understood. Here, the authors identify genetic loci for narcolepsy, suggesting infection as a trigger and dendritic and helper T cell involvement.

Many genetic factors that contribute to uterine leiomyomata (UL) - the most common tumours of the female genital tract - remain to be discovered. Here, the authors conduct a UL meta-genome-wide association study, and find loci related to altered muscle tissue biology that are associated with UL.

Nonsyndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate has been associated with SNPs in the IRF6 gene. Now Jeff Murray and colleagues report the identification of a common variant in a previously unknown IRF6 enhancer that shows strong evidence of association with cleft lip only and disrupts the binding site of transcription factor AP-2α.

Raif Geha, Louis Kunkel, Waleed Al-Herz and colleagues report a mutation in TFRC (encoding transferrin receptor 1, TfR1) that causes combined immunodeficiency characterized by impaired function of T and B cells in homozygous patients. Iron citrate rescued the lymphocyte defects in patient-derived cells and in a mouse model, demonstrating the importance of TfR1-mediated iron internalization in adaptive immunity.

Identifying women at high risk of breast cancer has important implications for screening. Here, the authors demonstrate that polygenic risk scores improve breast cancer risk prediction in the population, in women with mutations in high-risk genes and in women with close relatives with the disease.

The burden of mosaic chromosomal alterations in blood-derived DNA, a type of clonal hematopoiesis, is associated with an increased risk for diverse types of infections, including sepsis and pneumonia.

Primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) is highly heritable, yet not well understood from a genetic perspective. Here, the authors perform a meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies in 34,179 POAG cases, identifying 44 previously unreported risk loci and mapping effects across multiple ethnicities.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are associated with plasma lipid levels. Here, Tabassum et al. perform genome-wide association studies for lipidomic profiles with 141 (non-standard) lipid species which highlights shared genetic loci with CVD and that traditional lipids have low genetic correlation with other lipids.

The largest meta-analysis of GWASs of hepcidin and sTfR identified 43 genomic loci, of which 15 new. Mendelian randomisation revealed associations of systemic iron status and iron-related loci with selected health outcomes across multiple domains.

A genome-wide association study identifies MFGE8 as protective against coronary atherosclerosis in European and East Asian populations.

Max Tamlander et al. combine polygenic risk scores and clinical assessments to improve prediction of coronary artery disease and type 2 diabetes in European cohorts. Taken together, their results provide a useful method for preliminary cardiometabolic risk assessment in patients.