Genome-wide analysis of mitochondrial DNA copy number reveals loci implicated in nucleotide metabolism, platelet activation, and megakaryocyte proliferation.

Mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtDNA-CN) measured from blood specimens is a minimally invasive marker of mitochondrial function that exhibits both inter-individual and intercellular variation. To identify genes involved in regulating mitochondrial function, we performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) in 465,809 White individuals from the Cohorts for Heart and Aging Research in Genomic Epidemiology (CHARGE) consortium and the UK Biobank (UKB). We identified 133 SNPs with statistically significant, independent effects associated with mtDNA-CN across 100 loci. A combination of fine-mapping, variant annotation, and co-localization analyses was used to prioritize genes within each of the 133 independent sites. Putative causal genes were enriched for known mitochondrial DNA depletion syndromes (p = 3.09 × 10-15) and the gene ontology (GO) terms for mtDNA metabolism (p = 1.43 × 10-8) and mtDNA replication (p = 1.2 × 10-7). A clustering approach leveraged pleiotropy between mtDNA-CN associated SNPs and 41 mtDNA-CN associated phenotypes to identify functional domains, revealing three distinct groups, including platelet activation, megakaryocyte proliferation, and mtDNA metabolism. Finally, using mitochondrial SNPs, we establish causal relationships between mitochondrial function and a variety of blood cell-related traits, kidney function, liver function and overall (p = 0.044) and non-cancer mortality (p = 6.56 × 10-4).

The association between LRP-1 variants and chylomicron uptake after a high fat meal.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: In vitro studies suggest that low density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 1 (LRP1) plays a role in the secondary uptake of chylomicrons. In addition, in vivo studies using LRP-1 knockout mice show these animals exhibit delayed chylomicron clearance. Whether this is true in humans is unknown. We aimed to determine whether genetic variants in LRP-1 are associated with postprandial chylomicron uptake in humans given an oral fat challenge. METHODS AND RESULTS: As many as 817 men and women (mean age +/- standard deviation = 48.4 +/- 16.4 years) forming the study population for the Genetics of Lipid Lowering Drugs Network (GOLDN) study ingested an oral fat load of 700 kilocalories per m² of body surface area at 83% fat, after an 8-h fast. Chylomicrons were measured by nuclear resonance spectroscopy (NMR) at fasting, and 3.5 and 6 h after the meal. 26 Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the LRP-1 gene were genotyped on the Affymetrix 6.0 array. Chylomicrons were, as expected, zero at fasting. Mixed linear models adjusted for age, sex, study site and pedigree tested for associations between LRP-1 SNPs and changes in chylomicron concentrations 3.5-6 h. A gene-based test across all 26 SNPs was conducted which corrected for the linkage disequilibrium (LD) between SNPs. 11 LRP-1 SNPs were significantly associated with the change in chylomicron concentration correction for multiple testing (Q < 0.05). The subsequent gene-based test, was also significant (P = 0.01). CONCLUSION: These results require replication but strongly indicate the role of LRP1 in postprandial lipoprotein uptake and/or clearance.