Carriers of rare damaging CCR2 genetic variants are at lower risk of atherosclerotic disease.

Background: The CCL2/CCR2 axis governs monocyte trafficking and recruitment to atherosclerotic lesions. Human genetic analyses and population-based studies support an association between circulating CCL2 levels and atherosclerosis. Still, it remains unknown whether pharmacological targeting of CCR2, the main CCL2 receptor, would provide protection against human atherosclerotic disease. Methods: In whole-exome sequencing data from 454,775 UK Biobank participants (40-69 years), we identified predicted loss-of-function (LoF) or damaging missense (REVEL score >0.5) variants within the CCR2 gene. We prioritized variants associated with lower monocyte count (p<0.05) and tested associations with vascular risk factors and risk of atherosclerotic disease over a mean follow-up of 14 years. The results were replicated in a pooled cohort of three independent datasets (TOPMed, deCODE and Penn Medicine BioBank; total n=441,445) and the effect of the most frequent damaging variant was experimentally validated. Results: A total of 45 predicted LoF or damaging missense variants were identified in the CCR2 gene, 4 of which were also significantly associated with lower monocyte count, but not with other white blood cell counts. Heterozygous carriers of these variants were at a lower risk of a combined atherosclerosis outcome, showed a lower burden of atherosclerosis across four vascular beds, and were at a lower lifetime risk of coronary artery disease and myocardial infarction. There was no evidence of association with vascular risk factors including LDL-cholesterol, blood pressure, glycemic status, or C-reactive protein. Using a cAMP assay, we found that cells transfected with the most frequent CCR2 damaging variant (3:46358273:T:A, M249K, 547 carriers, frequency: 0.14%) show a decrease in signaling in response to CCL2. The associations of the M249K variant with myocardial infarction were consistent across cohorts (ORUKB: 0.62 95%CI: 0.39-0.96; ORexternal: 0.64 95%CI: 0.34-1.19; ORpooled: 0.64 95%CI: 0.450.90). In a phenome-wide association study, we found no evidence for higher risk of common infections or mortality among carriers of damaging CCR2 variants. Conclusions: Heterozygous carriers of damaging CCR2 variants have a lower burden of atherosclerosis and lower lifetime risk of myocardial infarction. In conjunction with previous evidence from experimental and epidemiological studies, our findings highlight the translational potential of CCR2-targeting as an atheroprotective approach.

Whole-Genome Sequencing Association Analyses of Stroke and Its Subtypes in Ancestrally Diverse Populations From Trans-Omics for Precision Medicine Project.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Stroke is the leading cause of death and long-term disability worldwide. Previous genome-wide association studies identified 51 loci associated with stroke (mostly ischemic) and its subtypes among predominantly European populations. Using whole-genome sequencing in ancestrally diverse populations from the Trans-Omics for Precision Medicine (TOPMed) Program, we aimed to identify novel variants, especially low-frequency or ancestry-specific variants, associated with all stroke, ischemic stroke and its subtypes (large artery, cardioembolic, and small vessel), and hemorrhagic stroke and its subtypes (intracerebral and subarachnoid). METHODS: Whole-genome sequencing data were available for 6833 stroke cases and 27 116 controls, including 22 315 European, 7877 Black, 2616 Hispanic/Latino, 850 Asian, 54 Native American, and 237 other ancestry participants. In TOPMed, we performed single variant association analysis examining 40 million common variants and aggregated association analysis focusing on rare variants. We also combined TOPMed European populations with over 28 000 additional European participants from the UK BioBank genome-wide array data through meta-analysis. RESULTS: In the single variant association analysis in TOPMed, we identified one novel locus 13q33 for large artery at whole-genome-wide significance (P<5.00×10-9) and 4 novel loci at genome-wide significance (P<5.00×10-8), all of which need confirmation in independent studies. Lead variants in all 5 loci are low-frequency but are more common in non-European populations. An aggregation of synonymous rare variants within the gene C6orf26 demonstrated suggestive evidence of association for hemorrhagic stroke (P<3.11×10-6). By meta-analyzing European ancestry samples in TOPMed and UK BioBank, we replicated several previously reported stroke loci including PITX2, HDAC9, ZFHX3, and LRCH1. CONCLUSIONS: We represent the first association analysis for stroke and its subtypes using whole-genome sequencing data from ancestrally diverse populations. While our findings suggest the potential benefits of combining whole-genome sequencing data with populations of diverse genetic backgrounds to identify possible low-frequency or ancestry-specific variants, they also highlight the need to increase genome coverage and sample sizes.

Exome Array Analysis of 9721 Ischemic Stroke Cases from the SiGN Consortium.

Recent genome wide association studies have identified 89 common genetic variants robustly associated with ischemic stroke and primarily located in non-coding regions. To evaluate the contribution of coding variants, which are mostly rare, we performed an exome array analysis on 106,101 SNPs for 9721 ischemic stroke cases from the SiGN Consortium, and 12,345 subjects with no history of stroke from the Health Retirement Study and SiGN consortium. We identified 15 coding variants significantly associated with all ischemic stroke at array-wide threshold (i.e., p < 4.7 × 10-7), including two common SNPs in ABO that have previously been associated with stroke. Twelve of the remaining 13 variants were extremely rare in European Caucasians (MAF < 0.1%) and the associations were driven by African American samples. There was no evidence for replication of these associations in either TOPMed Stroke samples (n = 5613 cases) or UK Biobank (n = 5874 stroke cases), although power to replicate was very low given the low allele frequencies of the associated variants and a shortage of samples from diverse ancestries. Our study highlights the need for acquiring large, well-powered diverse cohorts to study rare variants, and the technical challenges using array-based genotyping technologies for rare variant genotyping.

Fine-mapping of lipid regions in global populations discovers ethnic-specific signals and refines previously identified lipid loci.

Genome-wide association studies have identified over 150 loci associated with lipid traits, however, no large-scale studies exist for Hispanics and other minority populations. Additionally, the genetic architecture of lipid-influencing loci remains largely unknown. We performed one of the most racially/ethnically diverse fine-mapping genetic studies of HDL-C, LDL-C, and triglycerides to-date using SNPs on the MetaboChip array on 54,119 individuals: 21,304 African Americans, 19,829 Hispanic Americans, 12,456 Asians, and 530 American Indians. The majority of signals found in these groups generalize to European Americans. While we uncovered signals unique to racial/ethnic populations, we also observed systematically consistent lipid associations across these groups. In African Americans, we identified three novel signals associated with HDL-C (LPL, APOA5, LCAT) and two associated with LDL-C (ABCG8, DHODH). In addition, using this population, we refined the location for 16 out of the 58 known MetaboChip lipid loci. These results can guide tailored screening efforts, reveal population-specific responses to lipid-lowering medications, and aid in the development of new targeted drug therapies.