Challenges in providing residual risks in carrier testing.

The probability an individual is a carrier for a recessive disorder despite a negative carrier test, referred to as residual risk, has been part of carrier screening for over 2 decades. Residual risks are calculated by subtracting the frequency of carriers of pathogenic variants detected by the test from the carrier frequency in a population, estimated from the incidence of the disease. Estimates of the incidence (and therefore carrier frequency) of many recessive disorders differ among different population groups and are inaccurate or unavailable for many genes on large carrier screening panels for most of the world's populations. The pathogenic variants detected by the test and their frequencies also vary across groups and over time as variants are newly discovered or reclassified, which requires today's residual carrier risks to be continually updated. Even when a residual carrier risk is derived using accurate data obtained in a particular group, it may not apply to many individuals in that group because of misattributed ancestry or unsuspected admixture. Missing or inaccurate data, the challenge of determining meaningful ancestry-specific risks and applying them appropriately, and a lack of evidence they impact management, suggest that patients be counseled that although carrier screening may miss a small fraction of carriers, residual risks with contemporary carrier screening are well below the risk posed by invasive prenatal diagnosis, even if one member of the couple is a carrier, and that efforts to provide precise residual carrier risks are unnecessary.

Structured mating: Patterns and implications.

Genetic similarity of spouses can reflect factors influencing mate choice, such as physical/behavioral characteristics, and patterns of social endogamy. Spouse correlations for both genetic ancestry and measured traits may impact genotype distributions (Hardy Weinberg and linkage equilibrium), and therefore genetic association studies. Here we evaluate white spouse-pairs from the Framingham Heart Study (FHS) original and offspring cohorts (N = 124 and 755, respectively) to explore spousal genetic similarity and its consequences. Two principal components (PCs) of the genome-wide association (GWA) data were identified, with the first (PC1) delineating clines of Northern/Western to Southern European ancestry and the second (PC2) delineating clines of Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry. In the original (older) cohort, there was a striking positive correlation between the spouses in PC1 (r = 0.73, P = 3x10(-22)) and also for PC2 (r = 0.80, P = 7x10(-29)). In the offspring cohort, the spouse correlations were lower but still highly significant for PC1 (r = 0.38, P = 7x10(-28)) and for PC2 (r = 0.45, P = 2x10(-39)). We observed significant Hardy-Weinberg disequilibrium for single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) loading heavily on PC1 and PC2 across 3 generations, and also significant linkage disequilibrium between unlinked SNPs; both decreased with time, consistent with reduced ancestral endogamy over generations and congruent with theoretical calculations. Ignoring ancestry, estimates of spouse kinship have a mean significantly greater than 0, and more so in the earlier generations. Adjusting kinship estimates for genetic ancestry through the use of PCs led to a mean spouse kinship not different from 0, demonstrating that spouse genetic similarity could be fully attributed to ancestral assortative mating. These findings also have significance for studies of heritability that are based on distantly related individuals (kinship less than 0.05), as we also demonstrate the poor correlation of kinship estimates in that range when ancestry is or is not taken into account.

Genome-wide characterization of shared and distinct genetic components that influence blood lipid levels in ethnically diverse human populations.

Blood lipid concentrations are heritable risk factors associated with atherosclerosis and cardiovascular diseases. Lipid traits exhibit considerable variation among populations of distinct ancestral origin as well as between individuals within a population. We performed association analyses to identify genetic loci influencing lipid concentrations in African American and Hispanic American women in the Women's Health Initiative SNP Health Association Resource. We validated one African-specific high-density lipoprotein cholesterol locus at CD36 as well as 14 known lipid loci that have been previously implicated in studies of European populations. Moreover, we demonstrate striking similarities in genetic architecture (loci influencing the trait, direction and magnitude of genetic effects, and proportions of phenotypic variation explained) of lipid traits across populations. In particular, we found that a disproportionate fraction of lipid variation in African Americans and Hispanic Americans can be attributed to genomic loci exhibiting statistical evidence of association in Europeans, even though the precise genes and variants remain unknown. At the same time, we found substantial allelic heterogeneity within shared loci, characterized both by population-specific rare variants and variants shared among multiple populations that occur at disparate frequencies. The allelic heterogeneity emphasizes the importance of including diverse populations in future genetic association studies of complex traits such as lipids; furthermore, the overlap in lipid loci across populations of diverse ancestral origin argues that additional knowledge can be gleaned from multiple populations.

Differentiating population stratification from genotyping error using family data.

Identifying population stratification and genotyping error are important for candidate gene association studies using the Transmission Disequilibrium Test (TDT). Although the TDT retains the prespecified Type I error in the presence of population stratification, the test may have decreased power in the presence of population stratification. Genotyping error can also cause the TDT to have an elevated Type I error. Differentiating population stratification from genotyping error remains a challenge for geneticists. Both genotyping error and population stratification can result in an increase in the observed homozygosity of a sample relative to that expected assuming Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium (HWE). We show that when family data are available, even if a limited number of markers are genotyped, evaluating the markers that show statistically significant deviation from HWE with the Mating Type Distortion Test (MTDT)--a test based on the mating type distribution--can reliably differentiate genotyping error from population stratification. We simulate data based on several models of genotyping error in previously published literature, and show how this method could be used in practice to assist in differentiating population stratification from systematic genotyping error.

Testing for non-random mating: evidence for ancestry-related assortative mating in the Framingham heart study.

Population stratification leads to a predictable phenomenon-a reduction in the number of heterozygotes compared to that calculated assuming Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium (HWE). We show that population stratification results in another phenomenon-an excess in the proportion of spouse-pairs with the same genotypes at all ancestrally informative markers, resulting in ancestrally related positive assortative mating. We use principal components analysis to show that there is evidence of population stratification within the Framingham Heart Study, and show that the first principal component correlates with a North-South European cline. We then show that the first principal component is highly correlated between spouses (r = 0.58, p = 0.0013), demonstrating that there is ancestrally related positive assortative mating among the Framingham Caucasian population. We also show that the single nucleotide polymorphisms loading most heavily on the first principal component show an excess of homozygotes within the spouses, consistent with similar ancestry-related assortative mating in the previous generation. This nonrandom mating likely affects genetic structure seen more generally in the North American population of European descent today, and decreases the rate of decay of linkage disequilibrium for ancestrally informative markers.

Admixture mapping of quantitative trait loci for blood lipids in African-Americans.

Blood lipid levels, including low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and triglycerides (TG), are highly heritable traits and major risk factors for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (CVD). Using individual ancestry estimates at marker locations across the genome, we present a novel quantitative admixture mapping analysis of all three lipid traits in a large sample of African-Americans from the Family Blood Pressure Program. Regression analysis was performed with both total and marker-location-specific European ancestry as explanatory variables, along with demographic covariates. Robust permutation analysis was used to assess statistical significance. Overall European ancestry was significantly correlated with HDL-C (negatively) and TG (positively), but not with LDL-C. We found strong evidence for a novel locus underlying HDL-C on chromosome 8q, which correlated negatively with European ancestry (P = .0014); the same location also showed positive correlation of European ancestry with TG levels. A region on chromosome 14q also showed significant negative correlation between HDL-C levels and European ancestry. On chromosome 15q, a suggestive negative correlation of European ancestry with TG and positive correlation with HDL-C was observed. Results with LDL-C were less significant overall. We also found significant evidence for genome-wide ancestry effects underlying the joint distribution of HDL-C and TG, not fully explained by the locus on chromosome 8. Our results are consistent with a genetic contribution to and may explain the healthier HDL-C and TG profiles found in Blacks versus Whites. The identified regions provide locations for follow-up studies of genetic variants underlying lipid variation in African-Americans and possibly other populations.

Genome-wide screen for asthma in Puerto Ricans: evidence for association with 5q23 region.

While the number of success stories for mapping genes associated with complex diseases using genome-wide association approaches is growing, there is still much work to be done in developing methods for such studies when the samples are collected from a population, which may not be homogeneous. Here we report the first genome-wide association study to identify genes associated with asthma in an admixed population. We genotyped 96 Puerto Rican moderate to severe asthma cases and 88 controls as well as 109 samples representing Puerto Rico's founding populations using the Affymetrix GeneChip Human Mapping 100K array sets. The data from samples representing Puerto Rico's founding populations was used to identify ancestry informative markers for admixture mapping analyses. In addition, a genome-wide association analysis using logistic regression was performed on the data. Although neither admixture mapping nor regression analysis gave any significant association with asthma after correction for multiple testing, an overlap analysis using the top scoring SNPs from different methods suggested chromosomal regions 5q23.3 and 13q13.3 as potential regions harboring genes for asthma in Puerto Ricans. The validation analysis of these two regions in 284 Puerto Rican asthma trios gave significant association for the 5q23.3 region. Our results provide strong evidence that the previously linked 5q23 region is associated with asthma in Puerto Ricans. The detection of causative variants in this region will require fine mapping and functional validation.

Merging Electronic Health Record Data and Genomics for Cardiovascular Research: A Science Advisory From the American Heart Association.

The process of scientific discovery is rapidly evolving. The funding climate has influenced a favorable shift in scientific discovery toward the use of existing resources such as the electronic health record. The electronic health record enables long-term outlooks on human health and disease, in conjunction with multidimensional phenotypes that include laboratory data, images, vital signs, and other clinical information. Initial work has confirmed the utility of the electronic health record for understanding mechanisms and patterns of variability in disease susceptibility, disease evolution, and drug responses. The addition of biobanks and genomic data to the information contained in the electronic health record has been demonstrated. The purpose of this statement is to discuss the current challenges in and the potential for merging electronic health record data and genomics for cardiovascular research.

Future of genetics of mood disorders research.

This report summarizes the deliberations of a panel with representation from diverse disciplines of relevance to the genetics of mood disorders. The major charge to the panel was to develop a strategic plan to employ the tools of genetics to advance the understanding, treatment, and outcomes for mood disorders. A comprehensive review of the evidence for the role of genetic factors in the etiology of mood disorders was conducted, and the chief impediments for progress in gene identification were identified. The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) portfolios in the Genetics Research Branch and the Division of Mental Disorders, Behavioral Sciences, AIDS, and all genetics training activities were reviewed. Despite some promising leads, there are still no confirmed linkage findings for mood disorders. Impediments to gene finding include the lack of phenotypic validity, variation in ascertainment sources and methodology across studies, and genetic complexity. With respect to linkage, the committee recommended that a large-scale, integrated effort be undertaken to examine existing data from linkage and association studies of bipolar disorders using identical phenotypes and statistical methods across studies to determine whether the suggestive linkage findings at some loci can be confirmed. Confirmation would justify more intensive approaches to gene finding. The committee recommended that the NIMH support continued efforts to identify the most heritable subtypes and endophenotypes of major depression using the tools of genetic epidemiology, neuroscience, and behavioral science. The field of genetic epidemiology was identified as an important future direction because population-based, epidemiologic studies of families and unrelated affected individuals assume increasing importance for common chronic diseases. To prepare for shifts to more complex genetic models, the committee recommended that the NIMH develop new interdisciplinary training strategies to prepare for the next generation of genetics research.

Variants in CXADR and F2RL1 are associated with blood pressure and obesity in African-Americans in regions identified through admixture mapping.

OBJECTIVE: Genetic variants in 296 genes in regions identified through admixture mapping of hypertension, BMI, and lipids were assessed for association with hypertension, blood pressure (BP), BMI, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). METHODS: This study identified coding SNPs identified from HapMap2 data that were located in genes on chromosomes 5, 6, 8, and 21, wherein ancestry association evidence for hypertension, BMI, or HDL-C was identified in previous admixture mapping studies. Genotyping was performed in 1733 unrelated African-Americans from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute's Family Blood Pressure Project, and gene-based association analyses were conducted for hypertension, SBP, DBP, BMI, and HDL-C. A gene score based on the number of minor alleles of each SNP in a gene was created and used for gene-based regression analyses, adjusting for age, age, sex, local marker ancestry, and BMI, as applicable. An individual's African ancestry estimated from 2507 ancestry-informative markers was also adjusted for to eliminate any confounding due to population stratification. RESULTS: CXADR (rs437470) on chromosome 21 was associated with SBP and DBP with or without adjusting for local ancestry (P < 0.0006). F2RL1 (rs631465) on chromosome 5 was associated with BMI (P = 0.0005). Local ancestry in these regions was associated with the respective traits as well. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that CXADR and F2RL1 likely play important roles in BP and obesity variation, respectively; and these findings are consistent with those of other studies, so replication and functional analyses are necessary.

Intragenic Cis and Trans modification of genetic susceptibility in DYT1 torsion dystonia.

A GAG deletion in the DYT1 gene is a major cause of early-onset dystonia, but clinical disease expression occurs in only 30% of mutation carriers. To gain insight into genetic factors that may influence penetrance, we evaluated three DYT1 single-nucleotide polymorphisms, including D216H, a coding-sequence variation that moderates the effects of the DYT1 GAG deletion in cellular models. We tested DYT1 GAG-deletion carriers with (n=119) and without (n=113) clinical signs of dystonia and control individuals (n=197) and found the frequency of the 216H allele to be increased in GAG-deletion carriers without dystonia and to be decreased in carriers with dystonia, compared with the control individuals. Analysis of haplotypes demonstrated a highly protective effect of the H allele in trans with the GAG deletion; there was also suggestive evidence that the D216 allele in cis is required for the disease to be penetrant. Our findings establish, for the first time, a clinically relevant gene modifier of DYT1.

Recent genetic selection in the ancestral admixture of Puerto Ricans.

Recent studies have used dense markers to examine the human genome in ancestrally homogeneous populations for hallmarks of selection. No genomewide studies have focused on recently admixed groups--populations that have experienced admixing among continentally divided ancestral populations within the past 200-500 years. New World admixed populations are unique in that they represent the sudden confluence of geographically diverged genomes with novel environmental challenges. Here, we present a novel approach for studying selection by examining the genomewide distribution of ancestry in the genetically admixed Puerto Ricans. We find strong statistical evidence of recent selection in three chromosomal regions, including the human leukocyte antigen region on chromosome 6p, chromosome 8q, and chromosome 11q. Two of these regions harbor genes for olfactory receptors. Interestingly, all three regions exhibit deficiencies in the European-ancestry proportion.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder is not a clinical manifestation of the DYT1 dystonia gene.

Prior studies suggest that obsessive-compulsive symptoms (OCS) and disorder (OCD) are co-morbid with dystonia. We tested if OCS/OCD is a clinical manifestation of the DYT1 dystonia mutation by interviewing members of families with an identified DYT1 mutation, and classifying by manifesting carriers (MC), non-manifesting carriers (NMC), and non-carriers (NC). We found that OCD/OCS are not increased in DYT1 mutation carriers compared with NC, nor is OCD associated with manifesting DYT1 dystonia.

A genome-wide scan in forty large pedigrees with multiple sclerosis.

The epidemiology of multiple sclerosis suggests that a complex interaction of genes and environment contribute to susceptibility. To enrich for families with large genetic effects and to potentially reduce genetic heterogeneity, we screened a sample of 18,794 probands and identified forty families with four or more affected individuals. Within these 40 families, HLA DRB1*15 was present in 70% of affected individuals; the transmission disequilibrium test showed a significant excess in transmission of DRB1*15 alleles to affected individuals (47 transmitted, 19 untransmitted, chi (2) = 11.9, p = 0.00057). A 10 cM genome scan was performed and analyzed for linkage under a parametric model with heterogeneity. No excess of significant sharing was observed (HLOD > 3.3) in the parametric multipoint analysis. No region exceeded that for marker GATA8A05 with an HLOD = 1.11. Follow-up genotyping with 17 microsatellites revealed a significant two-point parametric HLOD = 3.99 at marker D4S1597. Transmission disequilibrium tests for markers in this candidate region showed no transmission distortion. A scan for variants in a gene adjacent to D4S1597, PALLD, was negative for synonymous or nonsynonymous changes. A final multipoint scan incorporating all microsatellites in the region provided an HLOD = 1.30. The inability to find significant linkage in these highly penetrant families suggests that linkage is not the optimal tool for dissecting the inheritance of MS.

Dissecting complex diseases in complex populations: asthma in latino americans.

Asthma is a common but complex respiratory ailment; current data indicate that interaction of genetic and environmental factors lead to its clinical expression. In the United States, asthma prevalence, morbidity, and mortality vary widely among different Latino ethnic groups. The prevalence of asthma is highest in Puerto Ricans, intermediate in Dominicans and Cubans, and lowest in Mexicans and Central Americans. Independently, known socioeconomic, environmental, and genetic differences do not fully account for this observation. One potential explanation is that there may be unique and ethnic-specific gene-environment interactions that can differentially modify risk for asthma in Latino ethnic groups. These gene-environment interactions can be tested using genetic ancestry as a surrogate for genetic risk factors. Latinos are admixed and share varying proportions of African, Native American, and European ancestry. Most Latinos are unaware of their precise ancestry and report their ancestry based on the national origin of their family and their physical appearance. The unavailability of precise ancestry and the genetic complexity among Latinos may complicate asthma research studies in this population. On the other hand, precisely because of this rich mixture of ancestry, Latinos present a unique opportunity to disentangle the clinical, social, environmental, and genetic underpinnings of population differences in asthma prevalence, severity, and bronchodilator drug responsiveness.

Ancestry-environment interactions and asthma risk among Puerto Ricans.

BACKGROUND: Puerto Ricans, an admixed population of African, European, and Native American ancestries, have the highest asthma prevalence, morbidity, and mortality rates of any United States' population. Although socioeconomic status (SES) is negatively correlated with asthma incidence in most populations, no such relationship has been identified among Puerto Ricans. We hypothesized that, in this admixed population, the association between SES and asthma may interact with genetic ancestry. METHODS: We analyzed 135 Puerto Rican subjects with asthma and 156 control subjects recruited from six different recruitment centers in Puerto Rico. Individual ancestry for each subject was estimated using 44 ancestry informative markers. SES was assigned using the census tracts' median family income. Analyses of SES were based on the SES of the clinic site from which the subjects were recruited and on a subset of individuals on whom home address-based SES was available. RESULTS: In the two (independent) analyses, we found a significant interaction between SES, ancestry, and asthma disease status. At lower SES, European ancestry was associated with increased risk of asthma, whereas African ancestry was associated with decreased risk. The opposite was true for their higher SES counterparts. CONCLUSIONS: The observed interaction may help to explain the unique pattern of risk for asthma in Puerto Ricans and the lack of association with SES observed in previous studies when not accounting for varying proportions of ancestry.

Estimation of individual admixture: analytical and study design considerations.

The genome of an admixed individual represents a mixture of alleles from different ancestries. In the United States, the two largest minority groups, African-Americans and Hispanics, are both admixed. An understanding of the admixture proportion at an individual level (individual admixture, or IA) is valuable for both population geneticists and epidemiologists who conduct case-control association studies in these groups. Here we present an extension of a previously described frequentist (maximum likelihood or ML) approach to estimate individual admixture that allows for uncertainty in ancestral allele frequencies. We compare this approach both to prior partial likelihood based methods as well as more recently described Bayesian MCMC methods. Our full ML method demonstrates increased robustness when compared to an existing partial ML approach. Simulations also suggest that this frequentist estimator achieves similar efficiency, measured by the mean squared error criterion, as Bayesian methods but requires just a fraction of the computational time to produce point estimates, allowing for extensive analysis (e.g., simulations) not possible by Bayesian methods. Our simulation results demonstrate that inclusion of ancestral populations or their surrogates in the analysis is required by any method of IA estimation to obtain reasonable results.

Genetic structure, self-identified race/ethnicity, and confounding in case-control association studies.

We have analyzed genetic data for 326 microsatellite markers that were typed uniformly in a large multiethnic population-based sample of individuals as part of a study of the genetics of hypertension (Family Blood Pressure Program). Subjects identified themselves as belonging to one of four major racial/ethnic groups (white, African American, East Asian, and Hispanic) and were recruited from 15 different geographic locales within the United States and Taiwan. Genetic cluster analysis of the microsatellite markers produced four major clusters, which showed near-perfect correspondence with the four self-reported race/ethnicity categories. Of 3,636 subjects of varying race/ethnicity, only 5 (0.14%) showed genetic cluster membership different from their self-identified race/ethnicity. On the other hand, we detected only modest genetic differentiation between different current geographic locales within each race/ethnicity group. Thus, ancient geographic ancestry, which is highly correlated with self-identified race/ethnicity--as opposed to current residence--is the major determinant of genetic structure in the U.S. population. Implications of this genetic structure for case-control association studies are discussed.

Genetic admixture and asthma-related phenotypes in Mexican American and Puerto Rican asthmatics.

Genetic association studies in admixed populations may be biased if individual ancestry varies within the population and the phenotype of interest is associated with ancestry. However, recently admixed populations also offer potential benefits in association studies since markers informative for ancestry may be in linkage disequilibrium across large distances. In particular, the enhanced LD in admixed populations may be used to identify alleles that underlie a genetically determined difference in a phenotype between two ancestral populations. Asthma is known to have different prevalence and severity among ancestrally distinct populations. We investigated several asthma-related phenotypes in two ancestrally admixed populations: Mexican Americans and Puerto Ricans. We used ancestry informative markers to estimate the individual ancestry of 181 Mexican American asthmatics and 181 Puerto Rican asthmatics and tested whether individual ancestry is associated with any of these phenotypes independently of known environmental factors. We found an association between higher European ancestry and more severe asthma as measured by both forced expiratory volume at 1 second (r=-0.21, p=0.005) and by a clinical assessment of severity among Mexican Americans (OR: 1.55; 95% CI 1.25 to 1.93). We found no significant associations between ancestry and severity or drug responsiveness among Puerto Ricans. These results suggest that asthma severity may be influenced by genetic factors differentiating Europeans and Native Americans in Mexican Americans, although differing results for Puerto Ricans require further investigation.