Böttinger, Erwin P.

AbstractObjectiveHigh BMI is associated with many comorbidities and mortality. This study aimed to elucidate the overall clinical risk of obesity using a genome‐ and phenome‐wide approach.MethodsThis study performed a phenome‐wide association study of BMI using a clinical cohort of 736,726 adults. This was followed by genetic association studies using two separate cohorts: one consisting of 65,174 adults in the Electronic Medical Records and Genomics (eMERGE) Network and another with 405,432 participants in the UK Biobank.ResultsClass 3 obesity was associated with 433 phenotypes, representing 59.3% of all billing codes in individuals with severe obesity. A genome‐wide polygenic risk score for BMI, accounting for 7.5% of variance in BMI, was associated with 296 clinical diseases, including strong associations with type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea, hypertension, and chronic liver disease. In all three cohorts, 199 phenotypes were associated with class 3 obesity and polygenic risk for obesity, including novel associations such as increased risk of renal failure, venous insufficiency, and gastroesophageal reflux.ConclusionsThis combined genomic and phenomic systematic approach demonstrated that obesity has a strong genetic predisposition and is associated with a considerable burden of disease across all disease classes.

Background The incidence of VTE in African-Americans (AAs) is similar to or higher than in Americans of European ancestry. However, the carrier frequencies of inherited thrombophilias common in whites (i.e., Factor V Leiden, Prothrombin G20210A) are very low in AAs, suggesting that other inherited thrombophilias may be associated with VTE in AAs. Objective To identify potentially novel non-hypothesis-driven single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with VTE in AAs. Methods We used the resources of the eMERGE Network to perform a GWAS of VTE in AAs. The eMERGE Network (funded by NHGRI) is comprised of nine sites each with DNA biobanks linked to electronic health records (EHRs). Approximately 39,206 unique DNA samples have been genotyped using either Affymetrix or Illumina genome-wide SNP arrays. Led by the Coordinating Center and eMERGE genomics workgroup, an imputation pipeline was developed for merging genomic data across the different SNP arrays used by the eMERGE sites, to maximize sample size and the power to detect associations. The imputation was performed using the 1000 Genomes Cosmopolitan reference panel which includes 1092 individuals and over 36 million SNPs. From our previously-identified cohort of Olmsted County, MN residents with incident or recurrent VTE, 1996-2005, we derived and validated an EHR-driven phenotype extraction algorithm that leveraged structured data based on ICD-9-CM codes and unstructured data from clinical notes via natural language processing to identify VTE cases and controls with 100% and 94% positive and negative predictive values, respectively. We tested for an association between each SNP and VTE among AAs using unconditional logistic regression, adjusting for age, sex and eMERGE site. Results Among 294 AA VTE cases and 3,661 AA controls (total n=3,955; females, n=2,512), the Factor V Leiden (F5 rs6025) was not analyzed due to a very low minor allele frequency (MAF=0.0036). The prothrombin G20210A (F2 rs1799963) and ABO blood type O (ABO rs8176719) SNPs were not genotyped in any of the arrays and could not be imputed. Among SNPs with an imputation score >0.8, the most significant SNPs associated with VTE were ITPR3 (inositol 1,4,5-triphosphate receptor type 3) rs2229637 (OR=1.65; p=3.61E-07; MAF=0.19) and CLEC7A (C-type lectin domain family 7, member A) rs59819090 (OR=2.16; p=1.06E-06; MAF=0.056). ITPR3 SNPs have been associated with coronary artery aneurysm in Kawasaki disease, type 1 diabetes mellitus and other autoimmune disorders. CLEC7A rs59819090 encodes for a serine82 to leucine nonsynonymous amino acid change in dectin-1. Dectin-1 is a transmembrane innate immune pattern recognition receptor on myeloid cells that upon binding it’s agonist, β-glucans, stimulates cytokine production and the respiratory burst, a prerequisite for formation of neutrophil extracelluar traps (NETs). NETs have been associated with VTE (van Montfoort, et al. Ateriosclero Thromb Vasc Biol 2013;33:147-51). Dectin-1 serine82 is not evolutionarily conserved and the serine82 to leucine amino acid change is predicted to be tolerated, with a moderate effect on protein function. Conclusions ITPR3 rs2229637 and CLAC7A rs59819090 may be associated with VTE in African-Americans. These observations require replication and functional studies toward understanding how they may lie on the causal pathway to VTE. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

AbstractBackgroundThe extent to which obesity and genetics determine postoperative complications is incompletely understood.MethodsWe performed a retrospective study using two population cohorts with electronic health record (EHR) data. The first included 736,726 adults with body mass index (BMI) recorded between 1990 and 2017 at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. The second cohort consisted of 65,174 individuals from 12 institutions contributing EHR and genome‐wide genotyping data to the Electronic Medical Records and Genomics (eMERGE) Network. Pairwise logistic regression analyses were used to measure the association of BMI categories with postoperative complications derived from International Classification of Disease‐9 codes, including postoperative infection, incisional hernia, and intestinal obstruction. A genetic risk score was constructed from 97 obesity‐risk single‐nucleotide polymorphisms for a Mendelian randomization study to determine the association of genetic risk of obesity on postoperative complications. Logistic regression analyses were adjusted for sex, age, site, and race/principal components.ResultsIndividuals with overweight or obese BMI (≥25 kg/m2) had increased risk of incisional hernia (odds ratio [OR] 1.7–5.5, p < 3.1 × 10−20), and people with obesity (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2) had increased risk of postoperative infection (OR 1.2–2.3, p < 2.5 × 10−5). In the eMERGE cohort, genetically predicted BMI was associated with incisional hernia (OR 2.1 [95% CI 1.8–2.5], p = 1.4 × 10−6) and postoperative infection (OR 1.6 [95% CI 1.4–1.9], p = 3.1 × 10−6). Association findings were similar after limitation of the cohorts to those who underwent abdominal procedures.ConclusionsClinical and Mendelian randomization studies suggest that obesity, as measured by BMI, is associated with the development of postoperative incisional hernia and infection.

Genome-wide association studies have identified >50 common variants associated with kidney function, but these variants do not fully explain the variation in eGFR. We performed a two-stage meta-analysis of associations between genotypes from the Illumina exome array and eGFR on the basis of serum creatinine (eGFRcrea) among participants of European ancestry from the CKDGen Consortium ( n Stage1 : 111,666; n Stage2 : 48,343). In single-variant analyses, we identified single nucleotide polymorphisms at seven new loci associated with eGFRcrea ( PPM1J , EDEM3, ACP1, SPEG, EYA4, CYP1A1 , and ATXN2L ; P Stage1 <3.7×10 −7 ), of which most were common and annotated as nonsynonymous variants. Gene-based analysis identified associations of functional rare variants in three genes with eGFRcrea, including a novel association with the SOS Ras/Rho guanine nucleotide exchange factor 2 gene, SOS2 ( P =5.4×10 −8 by sequence kernel association test). Experimental follow-up in zebrafish embryos revealed changes in glomerular gene expression and renal tubule morphology in the embryonic kidney of acp1- and sos2 -knockdowns. These developmental abnormalities associated with altered blood clearance rate and heightened prevalence of edema. This study expands the number of loci associated with kidney function and identifies novel genes with potential roles in kidney formation.

Background Intracranial aneurysms ( IAs ), abdominal aortic aneurysms ( AAAs ), and thoracic aortic aneurysms ( TAAs ) all have a familial predisposition. Given that aneurysm types are known to co‐occur, we hypothesized that there may be shared genetic risk factors for IAs , AAAs, and TAAs . Methods and Results We performed a mega‐analysis of 1000 Genomes Project‐imputed genome‐wide association study ( GWAS ) data of 4 previously published aneurysm cohorts: 2 IA cohorts (in total 1516 cases, 4305 controls), 1 AAA cohort (818 cases, 3004 controls), and 1 TAA cohort (760 cases, 2212 controls), and observed associations of 4 known IA , AAA , and/or TAA risk loci (9p21, 18q11, 15q21, and 2q33) with consistent effect directions in all 4 cohorts. We calculated polygenic scores based on IA ‐, AAA ‐, and TAA ‐associated SNP s and tested these scores for association to case‐control status in the other aneurysm cohorts; this revealed no shared polygenic effects. Similarly, linkage disequilibrium–score regression analyses did not show significant correlations between any pair of aneurysm subtypes. Last, we evaluated the evidence for 14 previously published aneurysm risk single‐nucleotide polymorphisms through collaboration in extended aneurysm cohorts, with a total of 6548 cases and 16 843 controls ( IA ) and 4391 cases and 37 904 controls ( AAA ), and found nominally significant associations for IA risk locus 18q11 near RBBP 8 to AAA (odds ratio [ OR ]=1.11; P =4.1×10 −5 ) and for TAA risk locus 15q21 near FBN 1 to AAA ( OR =1.07; P =1.1×10 −3 ). Conclusions Although there was no evidence for polygenic overlap between IAs , AAAs , and TAAs , we found nominally significant effects of two established risk loci for IAs and TAAs in AAAs . These two loci will require further replication.

The legacy of human-Neandertal interbreeding Non-African humans are estimated to have inherited on average 1.5 to 4% of their genomes from Neandertals. However, how this genetic legacy affects human traits is unknown. Simonti et al. combined genotyping data with electronic health records. Individual Neandertal alleles were correlated with clinically relevant phenotypes in individuals of European descent. These archaic genetic variants were associated with medical conditions affecting the skin, the blood, and the risk of depression. Science , this issue p. 737

Genetic variation can affect drug response in multiple ways, although it remains unclear how rare genetic variants affect drug response. The electronic Medical Records and Genomics (eMERGE) Network, collaborating with the Pharmacogenomics Research Network, began eMERGE‐PGx, a targeted sequencing study to assess genetic variation in 82 pharmacogenes critical for implementation of “precision medicine.” The February 2015 eMERGE‐PGx data release includes sequence‐derived data from ∼5,000 clinical subjects. We present the variant frequency spectrum categorized by variant type, ancestry, and predicted function. We found 95.12% of genes have variants with a scaled Combined Annotation‐Dependent Depletion score above 20, and 96.19% of all samples had one or more Clinical Pharmacogenetics Implementation Consortium Level A actionable variants. These data highlight the distribution and scope of genetic variation in relevant pharmacogenes, identifying challenges associated with implementing clinical sequencing for drug treatment at a broader level, underscoring the importance for multifaceted research in the execution of precision medicine.