Sequence variants influencing the regulation of serum IgG subclass levels.

Immunoglobulin G (IgG) is the main isotype of antibody in human blood. IgG consists of four subclasses (IgG1 to IgG4), encoded by separate constant region genes within the Ig heavy chain locus (IGH). Here, we report a genome-wide association study on blood IgG subclass levels. Across 4334 adults and 4571 individuals under 18 years, we discover ten new and identify four known variants at five loci influencing IgG subclass levels. These variants also affect the risk of asthma, autoimmune diseases, and blood traits. Seven variants map to the IGH locus, three to the Fcγ receptor (FCGR) locus, and two to the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) region, affecting the levels of all IgG subclasses. The most significant associations are observed between the G1m (f), G2m(n) and G3m(b*) allotypes, and IgG1, IgG2 and IgG3, respectively. Additionally, we describe selective associations with IgG4 at 16p11.2 (ITGAX) and 17q21.1 (IKZF3, ZPBP2, GSDMB, ORMDL3). Interestingly, the latter coincides with a highly pleiotropic signal where the allele associated with lower IgG4 levels protects against childhood asthma but predisposes to inflammatory bowel disease. Our results provide insight into the regulation of antibody-mediated immunity that can potentially be useful in the development of antibody based therapeutics.

Long-read sequencing of 3,622 Icelanders provides insight into the role of structural variants in human diseases and other traits.

Long-read sequencing (LRS) promises to improve the characterization of structural variants (SVs). We generated LRS data from 3,622 Icelanders and identified a median of 22,636 SVs per individual (a median of 13,353 insertions and 9,474 deletions). We discovered a set of 133,886 reliably genotyped SV alleles and imputed them into 166,281 individuals to explore their effects on diseases and other traits. We discovered an association of a rare deletion in PCSK9 with lower low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels, compared to the population average. We also discovered an association of a multiallelic SV in ACAN with height; we found 11 alleles that differed in the number of a 57-bp-motif repeat and observed a linear relationship between the number of repeats carried and height. These results show that SVs can be accurately characterized at the population scale using LRS data in a genome-wide non-targeted approach and demonstrate how SVs impact phenotypes.

Lifelong Reduction in LDL (Low-Density Lipoprotein) Cholesterol due to a Gain-of-Function Mutation in LDLR.

BACKGROUND: Loss-of-function mutations in the LDL (low-density lipoprotein) receptor gene (LDLR) cause elevated levels of LDL cholesterol and premature cardiovascular disease. To date, a gain-of-function mutation in LDLR with a large effect on LDL cholesterol levels has not been described. Here, we searched for sequence variants in LDLR that have a large effect on LDL cholesterol levels. METHODS: We analyzed whole-genome sequencing data from 43 202 Icelanders. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms and structural variants including deletions, insertions, and duplications were genotyped using whole-genome sequencing-based data. LDL cholesterol associations were carried out in a sample of >100 000 Icelanders with genetic information (imputed or whole-genome sequencing). Molecular analyses were performed using RNA sequencing and protein expression assays in Epstein-Barr virus-transformed lymphocytes. RESULTS: We discovered a 2.5-kb deletion (del2.5) overlapping the 3' untranslated region of LDLR in 7 heterozygous carriers from a single family. Mean level of LDL cholesterol was 74% lower in del2.5 carriers than in 101 851 noncarriers, a difference of 2.48 mmol/L (96 mg/dL; P=8.4×10-8). Del2.5 results in production of an alternative mRNA isoform with a truncated 3' untranslated region. The truncation leads to a loss of target sites for microRNAs known to repress translation of LDLR. In Epstein-Barr virus-transformed lymphocytes derived from del2.5 carriers, expression of alternative mRNA isoform was 1.84-fold higher than the wild-type isoform (P=0.0013), and there was 1.79-fold higher surface expression of the LDL receptor than in noncarriers (P=0.0086). We did not find a highly penetrant detrimental impact of lifelong very low levels of LDL cholesterol due to del2.5 on health of the carriers. CONCLUSIONS: Del2.5 is the first reported gain-of-function mutation in LDLR causing a large reduction in LDL cholesterol. These data point to a role for alternative polyadenylation of LDLR mRNA as a potent regulator of LDL receptor expression in humans.

Eighty-eight variants highlight the role of T cell regulation and airway remodeling in asthma pathogenesis.

Asthma is one of the most common chronic diseases affecting both children and adults. We report a genome-wide association meta-analysis of 69,189 cases and 702,199 controls from Iceland and UK biobank. We find 88 asthma risk variants at 56 loci, 19 previously unreported, and evaluate their effect on other asthma and allergic phenotypes. Of special interest are two low frequency variants associated with protection against asthma; a missense variant in TNFRSF8 and 3' UTR variant in TGFBR1. Functional studies show that the TNFRSF8 variant reduces TNFRSF8 expression both on cell surface and in soluble form, acting as loss of function. eQTL analysis suggests that the TGFBR1 variant acts through gain of function and together with an intronic variant in a downstream gene, SMAD3, points to defective TGFßR1 signaling as one of the biological perturbations increasing asthma risk. Our results increase the number of asthma variants and implicate genes with known role in T cell regulation, inflammation and airway remodeling in asthma pathogenesis.

Common and Rare Sequence Variants Influencing Tumor Biomarkers in Blood.

BACKGROUND: Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), cancer antigens 15.3, 19.9, and 125, carcinoembryonic antigen, and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) are widely measured in attempts to detect cancer and to monitor treatment response. However, due to lack of sensitivity and specificity, their utility is debated. The serum levels of these markers are affected by a number of nonmalignant factors, including genotype. Thus, it may be possible to improve both sensitivity and specificity by adjusting test results for genetic effects. METHODS: We performed genome-wide association studies of serum levels of AFP (N = 22,686), carcinoembryonic antigen (N = 22,309), cancer antigens 15.3 (N = 7,107), 19.9 (N = 9,945), and 125 (N = 9,824), and ALP (N = 162,774). We also examined the correlations between levels of these biomarkers and the presence of cancer, using data from a nationwide cancer registry. RESULTS: We report a total of 84 associations of 79 sequence variants with levels of the six biomarkers, explaining between 2.3% and 42.3% of the phenotypic variance. Among the 79 variants, 22 are cis (in- or near the gene encoding the biomarker), 18 have minor allele frequency less than 1%, 31 are coding variants, and 7 are associated with gene expression in whole blood. We also find multiple conditions associated with higher biomarker levels. CONCLUSIONS: Our results provide insights into the genetic contribution to diversity in concentration of tumor biomarkers in blood. IMPACT: Genetic correction of biomarker values could improve prediction algorithms and decision-making based on these biomarkers.

Association of Genetically Predicted Lipid Levels With the Extent of Coronary Atherosclerosis in Icelandic Adults.

Importance: Genetic studies have evaluated the influence of blood lipid levels on the risk of coronary artery disease (CAD), but less is known about how they are associated with the extent of coronary atherosclerosis. Objective: To estimate the contributions of genetically predicted blood lipid levels on the extent of coronary atherosclerosis. Design, Setting, and Participants: This genetic study included Icelandic adults who had undergone coronary angiography or assessment of coronary artery calcium using cardiac computed tomography. The study incorporates data collected from January 1987 to December 2017 in Iceland in the Swedish Coronary Angiography and Angioplasty Registry and 2 registries of individuals who had undergone percutaneous coronary interventions and coronary artery bypass grafting. For each participant, genetic scores were calculated for levels of non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and triglycerides, based on reported effect sizes of 345 independent, lipid-associated variants. The genetic scores' predictive ability for lipid levels was assessed in more than 87 000 Icelandic adults. A mendelian randomization approach was used to estimate the contribution of each lipid trait. Exposures: Genetic scores for levels of non-HDL-C, LDL-C, HDL-C, and triglycerides. Main Outcomes and Measures: The extent of angiographic CAD and coronary artery calcium quantity. Results: A total of 12 460 adults (mean [SD] age, 65.1 [10.7] years; 8383 men [67.3%]) underwent coronary angiography, and 4837 had coronary artery calcium assessed by computed tomography. A genetically predicted increase in non-HDL-C levels by 1 SD (38 mg/dL [to convert to millimoles per liter, multiply by 0.0259]) was associated with greater odds of obstructive CAD (odds ratio [OR], 1.83 [95% CI, 1.63-2.07]; P = 2.8 × 10-23). Among patients with obstructive CAD, there were significant associations with multivessel disease (OR, 1.26 [95% CI, 1.11-1.44]; P = 4.1 × 10-4) and 3-vessel disease (OR, 1.47 [95% CI, 1.26-1.72]; P = 9.2 × 10-7). There were also significant associations with the presence of coronary artery calcium (OR, 2.04 [95% CI, 1.70-2.44]; P = 5.3 × 10-15) and loge-transformed coronary artery calcium (effect, 0.70 [95% CI, 0.53-0.87]; P = 1.0 × 10-15). Genetically predicted levels of non-HDL-C remained associated with obstructive CAD and coronary artery calcium extent even after accounting for the association with LDL-C. Genetically predicted levels of HDL-C and triglycerides were associated individually with the extent of coronary atherosclerosis, but not after accounting for the association with non-HDL cholesterol. Conclusions and Relevance: In this study, genetically predicted levels of non-HDL-C were associated with the extent of coronary atherosclerosis as estimated by 2 different methods. The association was stronger than for genetically predicted levels of LDL-C. These findings further support the notion that non-HDL-C may be a better marker of the overall burden of atherogenic lipoproteins than LDL-C.

Lipoprotein(a) Concentration and Risks of Cardiovascular Disease and Diabetes.

BACKGROUND: Lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] is a causal risk factor for cardiovascular diseases that has no established therapy. The attribute of Lp(a) that affects cardiovascular risk is not established. Low levels of Lp(a) have been associated with type 2 diabetes (T2D). OBJECTIVES: This study investigated whether cardiovascular risk is conferred by Lp(a) molar concentration or apolipoprotein(a) [apo(a)] size, and whether the relationship between Lp(a) and T2D risk is causal. METHODS: This was a case-control study of 143,087 Icelanders with genetic information, including 17,715 with coronary artery disease (CAD) and 8,734 with T2D. This study used measured and genetically imputed Lp(a) molar concentration, kringle IV type 2 (KIV-2) repeats (which determine apo(a) size), and a splice variant in LPA associated with small apo(a) but low Lp(a) molar concentration to disentangle the relationship between Lp(a) and cardiovascular risk. Loss-of-function homozygotes and other subjects genetically predicted to have low Lp(a) levels were evaluated to assess the relationship between Lp(a) and T2D. RESULTS: Lp(a) molar concentration was associated dose-dependently with CAD risk, peripheral artery disease, aortic valve stenosis, heart failure, and lifespan. Lp(a) molar concentration fully explained the Lp(a) association with CAD, and there was no residual association with apo(a) size. Homozygous carriers of loss-of-function mutations had little or no Lp(a) and increased the risk of T2D. CONCLUSIONS: Molar concentration is the attribute of Lp(a) that affects risk of cardiovascular diseases. Low Lp(a) concentration (bottom 10%) increases T2D risk. Pharmacologic reduction of Lp(a) concentration in the 20% of individuals with the greatest concentration down to the population median is predicted to decrease CAD risk without increasing T2D risk.

A loss-of-function variant in ALOX15 protects against nasal polyps and chronic rhinosinusitis.

Nasal polyps (NP) are lesions on the nasal and paranasal sinus mucosa and are a risk factor for chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). We performed genome-wide association studies on NP and CRS in Iceland and the UK (using UK Biobank data) with 4,366 NP cases, 5,608 CRS cases, and >700,000 controls. We found 10 markers associated with NP and 2 with CRS. We also tested 210 markers reported to associate with eosinophil count, yielding 17 additional NP associations. Of the 27 NP signals, 7 associate with CRS and 13 with asthma. Most notably, a missense variant in ALOX15 that causes a p.Thr560Met alteration in arachidonate 15-lipoxygenase (15-LO) confers large genome-wide significant protection against NP (P = 8.0 × 10-27, odds ratio = 0.32; 95% confidence interval = 0.26, 0.39) and CRS (P = 1.1 × 10-8, odds ratio = 0.64; 95% confidence interval = 0.55, 0.75). p.Thr560Met, carried by around 1 in 20 Europeans, was previously shown to cause near total loss of 15-LO enzymatic activity. Our findings identify 15-LO as a potential target for therapeutic intervention in NP and CRS.

Sequence variants associating with urinary biomarkers.

Urine dipstick tests are widely used in routine medical care to diagnose kidney and urinary tract and metabolic diseases. Several environmental factors are known to affect the test results, whereas the effects of genetic diversity are largely unknown. We tested 32.5 million sequence variants for association with urinary biomarkers in a set of 150 274 Icelanders with urine dipstick measurements. We detected 20 association signals, of which 14 are novel, associating with at least one of five clinical entities defined by the urine dipstick: glucosuria, ketonuria, proteinuria, hematuria and urine pH. These include three independent glucosuria variants at SLC5A2, the gene encoding the sodium-dependent glucose transporter (SGLT2), a protein targeted pharmacologically to increase urinary glucose excretion in the treatment of diabetes. Two variants associating with proteinuria are in LRP2 and CUBN, encoding the co-transporters megalin and cubilin, respectively, that mediate proximal tubule protein uptake. One of the hematuria-associated variants is a rare, previously unreported 2.5 kb exonic deletion in COL4A3. Of the four signals associated with urine pH, we note that the pH-increasing alleles of two variants (POU2AF1, WDR72) associate significantly with increased risk of kidney stones. Our results reveal that genetic factors affect variability in urinary biomarkers, in both a disease dependent and independent context.

Genome-wide association meta-analysis yields 20 loci associated with gallstone disease.

Gallstones are responsible for one of the most common diseases in the Western world and are commonly treated with cholecystectomy. We perform a meta-analysis of two genome-wide association studies of gallstone disease in Iceland and the UK, totaling 27,174 cases and 736,838 controls, uncovering 21 novel gallstone-associated variants at 20 loci. Two distinct low frequency missense variants in SLC10A2, encoding the apical sodium-dependent bile acid transporter (ASBT), associate with an increased risk of gallstone disease (Pro290Ser: OR = 1.36 [1.25-1.49], P = 2.1 × 10-12, MAF = 1%; Val98Ile: OR = 1.15 [1.10-1.20], P = 1.8 × 10-10, MAF = 4%). We demonstrate that lower bile acid transport by ASBT is accompanied by greater risk of gallstone disease and highlight the role of the intestinal compartment of the enterohepatic circulation of bile acids in gallstone disease susceptibility. Additionally, two low frequency missense variants in SERPINA1 and HNF4A and 17 common variants represent novel associations with gallstone disease.

Genome-wide associations for benign prostatic hyperplasia reveal a genetic correlation with serum levels of PSA.

Benign prostatic hyperplasia and associated lower urinary tract symptoms (BPH/LUTS) are common conditions affecting the majority of elderly males. Here we report the results of a genome-wide association study of symptomatic BPH/LUTS in 20,621 patients and 280,541 controls of European ancestry, from Iceland and the UK. We discovered 23 genome-wide significant variants, located at 14 loci. There is little or no overlap between the BPH/LUTS variants and published prostate cancer risk variants. However, 15 of the variants reported here also associate with serum levels of prostate specific antigen (PSA) (at a Bonferroni corrected P < 0.0022). Furthermore, there is a strong genetic correlation, rg = 0.77 (P = 2.6 × 10-11), between PSA and BPH/LUTS, and one standard deviation increase in a polygenic risk score (PRS) for BPH/LUTS increases PSA levels by 12.9% (P = 1.6×10-55). These results shed a light on the genetic background of BPH/LUTS and its substantial influence on PSA levels.

Insights into imprinting from parent-of-origin phased methylomes and transcriptomes.

Imprinting is the preferential expression of one parental allele over the other. It is controlled primarily through differential methylation of cytosine at CpG dinucleotides. Here we combine 285 methylomes and 11,617 transcriptomes from peripheral blood samples with parent-of-origin phased haplotypes, to produce a new map of imprinted methylation and gene expression patterns across the human genome. We demonstrate how imprinted methylation is a continuous rather than a binary characteristic. We describe at high resolution the parent-of-origin methylation pattern at the 15q11.2 Prader-Willi/Angelman syndrome locus, with nearly confluent stochastic paternal methylation punctuated by 'spikes' of maternal methylation. We find examples of polymorphic imprinted methylation unrelated (at VTRNA2-1 and PARD6G) or related (at CHRNE) to nearby SNP genotypes. We observe RNA isoform-specific imprinted expression patterns suggestive of a methylation-sensitive transcriptional elongation block. Finally, we gain new insights into parent-of-origin-specific effects on phenotypes at the DLK1/MEG3 and GNAS loci.

A rare missense variant in NR1H4 associates with lower cholesterol levels.

Searching for novel sequence variants associated with cholesterol levels is of particular interest due to the causative role of non-HDL cholesterol levels in cardiovascular disease. Through whole-genome sequencing of 15,220 Icelanders and imputation of the variants identified, we discovered a rare missense variant in NR1H4 (R436H) associating with lower levels of total cholesterol (effect = -0.47 standard deviations or -0.55 mmol L-1, p = 4.21 × 10-10, N = 150,211). Importantly, NR1H4 R436H also associates with lower levels of non-HDL cholesterol and, consistent with this, protects against coronary artery disease. NR1H4 encodes FXR that regulates bile acid homeostasis, however, we do not detect a significant association between R436H and biological markers of liver function. Transcriptional profiling of hepatocytes carrying R436H shows that it is not a loss-of-function variant. Rather, we observe changes in gene expression compatible with effects on lipids. These findings highlight the role of FXR in regulation of cholesterol levels in humans.

Rare SCARB1 mutations associate with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol but not with coronary artery disease.

Aims: Scavenger receptor Class B Type 1 (SR-BI) is a major receptor for high-density lipoprotein (HDL) that promotes hepatic uptake of cholesterol from HDL. A rare mutation p.P376L, in the gene encoding SR-BI, SCARB1, was recently reported to associate with elevated HDL cholesterol (HDL-C) and increased risk of coronary artery disease (CAD), suggesting that increased HDL-C caused by SR-BI impairment might be an independent marker of cardiovascular risk. We tested the hypothesis that alleles in or close to SCARB1 that associate with elevated levels of HDL-C also associate with increased risk of CAD in the relatively homogeneous population of Iceland. Methods and results: Using a large resource of whole-genome sequenced Icelanders, we identified thirteen SCARB1 coding mutations that we examined for association with HDL-C (n = 136 672). Three rare SCARB1 mutations, encoding p.G319V, p.V111M, and p.V32M (combined allelic frequency = 0.2%) associate with elevated levels of HDL-C (p.G319V: ß = 11.1 mg/dL, P = 8.0 × 10-7; p.V111M: ß = 8.3 mg/dL, P = 1.1 × 10-6; p.V32M: ß = 10.2 mg/dL, P = 8.1 × 10-4). These mutations do not associate with CAD (36 886 cases/306 268 controls) (odds ratio = 0.90, 95% confidence interval 0.67-1.22, P = 0.49), despite effects on HDL-C comparable to that reported for p.P376L, both in terms of direction and magnitude. Furthermore, HDL-C raising alleles of three common SCARB1 non-coding variants, including one previously unreported (rs61941676-C: ß = 1.25 mg/dL, P = 1.7 × 10-18), and of one low frequency coding variant (p.V135I) that independently associate with higher HDL-C, do not confer increased risk of CAD. Conclusion: Elevated HDL-C due to genetically compromised SR-BI function is not a marker of CAD risk.

Effect of sequence variants on variance in glucose levels predicts type 2 diabetes risk and accounts for heritability.

Sequence variants that affect mean fasting glucose levels do not necessarily affect risk for type 2 diabetes (T2D). We assessed the effects of 36 reported glucose-associated sequence variants on between- and within-subject variance in fasting glucose levels in 69,142 Icelanders. The variant in TCF7L2 that increases fasting glucose levels increases between-subject variance (5.7% per allele, P = 4.2 × 10-10), whereas variants in GCK and G6PC2 that increase fasting glucose levels decrease between-subject variance (7.5% per allele, P = 4.9 × 10-11 and 7.3% per allele, P = 7.5 × 10-18, respectively). Variants that increase mean and between-subject variance in fasting glucose levels tend to increase T2D risk, whereas those that increase the mean but reduce variance do not (r2 = 0.61). The variants that increase between-subject variance increase fasting glucose heritability estimates. Intuitively, our results show that increasing the mean and variance of glucose levels is more likely to cause pathologically high glucose levels than increase in the mean offset by a decrease in variance.

Identification of sequence variants influencing immunoglobulin levels.

Immunoglobulins are the effector molecules of the adaptive humoral immune system. In a genome-wide association study of 19,219 individuals, we found 38 new variants and replicated 5 known variants associating with IgA, IgG or IgM levels or with composite immunoglobulin traits, accounted for by 32 loci. Variants at these loci also affect the risk of autoimmune diseases and blood malignancies and influence blood cell development. Notable associations include a rare variant at RUNX3 decreasing IgA levels by shifting isoform proportions (rs188468174[C>T]: P = 8.3 × 10-55, ß = -0.90 s.d.), a rare in-frame deletion in FCGR2B abolishing IgG binding to the encoded receptor (p.Asn106del: P = 4.2 × 10-8, ß = 1.03 s.d.), four IGH locus variants influencing class switching, and ten new associations with the HLA region. Our results provide new insight into the regulation of humoral immunity.

A rare splice donor mutation in the haptoglobin gene associates with blood lipid levels and coronary artery disease.

Common sequence variants at the haptoglobin gene (HP) have been associated with blood lipid levels. Through whole-genome sequencing of 8,453 Icelanders, we discovered a splice donor founder mutation in HP (NM_001126102.1:c.190 + 1G > C, minor allele frequency = 0.56%). This mutation occurs on the HP1 allele of the common copy number variant in HP and leads to a loss of function of HP1. It associates with lower levels of haptoglobin (P = 2.1 × 10-54), higher levels of non-high density lipoprotein cholesterol (ß = 0.26 mmol/l, P = 2.6 × 10-9) and greater risk of coronary artery disease (odds ratio = 1.30, 95% confidence interval: 1.10-1.54, P = 0.0024). Through haplotype analysis and with RNA sequencing, we provide evidence of a causal relationship between one of the two haptoglobin isoforms, namely Hp1, and lower levels of non-HDL cholesterol. Furthermore, we show that the HP1 allele associates with various other quantitative biological traits.

A rare IL33 loss-of-function mutation reduces blood eosinophil counts and protects from asthma.

IL-33 is a tissue-derived cytokine that induces and amplifies eosinophilic inflammation and has emerged as a promising new drug target for asthma and allergic disease. Common variants at IL33 and IL1RL1, encoding the IL-33 receptor ST2, associate with eosinophil counts and asthma. Through whole-genome sequencing and imputation into the Icelandic population, we found a rare variant in IL33 (NM_001199640:exon7:c.487-1G>C (rs146597587-C), allele frequency = 0.65%) that disrupts a canonical splice acceptor site before the last coding exon. It is also found at low frequency in European populations. rs146597587-C associates with lower eosinophil counts (ß = -0.21 SD, P = 2.5×10-16, N = 103,104), and reduced risk of asthma in Europeans (OR = 0.47; 95%CI: 0.32, 0.70, P = 1.8×10-4, N cases = 6,465, N controls = 302,977). Heterozygotes have about 40% lower total IL33 mRNA expression than non-carriers and allele-specific analysis based on RNA sequencing and phased genotypes shows that only 20% of the total expression is from the mutated chromosome. In half of those transcripts the mutation causes retention of the last intron, predicted to result in a premature stop codon that leads to truncation of 66 amino acids. The truncated IL-33 has normal intracellular localization but neither binds IL-33R/ST2 nor activates ST2-expressing cells. Together these data demonstrate that rs146597587-C is a loss of function mutation and support the hypothesis that IL-33 haploinsufficiency protects against asthma.

A genome-wide association study yields five novel thyroid cancer risk loci.

The great majority of thyroid cancers are of the non-medullary type. Here we report findings from a genome-wide association study of non-medullary thyroid cancer, including in total 3,001 patients and 287,550 controls from five study groups of European descent. Our results yield five novel loci (all with Pcombined<3 × 10-8): 1q42.2 (rs12129938 in PCNXL2), 3q26.2 (rs6793295 a missense mutation in LRCC34 near TERC), 5q22.1 (rs73227498 between NREP and EPB41L4A), 10q24.33 (rs7902587 near OBFC1), and two independently associated variants at 15q22.33 (rs2289261 and rs56062135; both in SMAD3). We also confirm recently published association results from a Chinese study of a variant on 5p15.33 (rs2736100 near the TERT gene) and present a stronger association result for a moderately correlated variant (rs10069690; OR=1.20, P=3.2 × 10-7) based on our study of individuals of European ancestry. In combination, these results raise several opportunities for future studies of the pathogenesis of thyroid cancer.

Identification of Common Genetic Variants Influencing Spontaneous Dizygotic Twinning and Female Fertility.

Spontaneous dizygotic (DZ) twinning occurs in 1%-4% of women, with familial clustering and unknown physiological pathways and genetic origin. DZ twinning might index increased fertility and has distinct health implications for mother and child. We performed a GWAS in 1,980 mothers of spontaneous DZ twins and 12,953 control subjects. Findings were replicated in a large Icelandic cohort and tested for association across a broad range of fertility traits in women. Two SNPs were identified (rs11031006 near FSHB, p = 1.54 × 10(-9), and rs17293443 in SMAD3, p = 1.57 × 10(-8)) and replicated (p = 3 × 10(-3) and p = 1.44 × 10(-4), respectively). Based on ∼90,000 births in Iceland, the risk of a mother delivering twins increased by 18% for each copy of allele rs11031006-G and 9% for rs17293443-C. A higher polygenic risk score (PRS) for DZ twinning, calculated based on the results of the DZ twinning GWAS, was significantly associated with DZ twinning in Iceland (p = 0.001). A higher PRS was also associated with having children (p = 0.01), greater lifetime parity (p = 0.03), and earlier age at first child (p = 0.02). Allele rs11031006-G was associated with higher serum FSH levels, earlier age at menarche, earlier age at first child, higher lifetime parity, lower PCOS risk, and earlier age at menopause. Conversely, rs17293443-C was associated with later age at last child. We identified robust genetic risk variants for DZ twinning: one near FSHB and a second within SMAD3, the product of which plays an important role in gonadal responsiveness to FSH. These loci contribute to crucial aspects of reproductive capacity and health.