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Biomedical subjects

Massimo Mangino

Publications and source records attributed to Massimo Mangino.

10 recordsLinked to original sources

Genome-wide gene-sleep interaction study identifies novel lipid loci in 732,564 participants.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Deviations from the population mean in sleep duration have been associated with increased risk for developing dyslipidemia and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, but the mechanism of effect is poorly characterized. We performed large-scale genome-wide gene-sleep interaction analyses of lipid levels to identify genetic variants underpinning the biomolecular pathways of sleep-associated lipid disturbances and to suggest possible druggable targets. METHODS: We collected data from 55 cohorts with a combined sample size of 732,564 participants (87&#xa0;% European ancestry) with data on lipid traits (high-density lipoprotein [HDL-c] and low-density lipoprotein [LDL-c] cholesterol and triglycerides [TG]). Short (STST) and long (LTST) total sleep time were defined by the extreme 20&#xa0;% of the age- and sex-standardized values within each cohort. Based on cohort-level summary statistics data, we performed meta-analyses for one-degree of freedom tests of interaction and two-degree of freedom joint tests of the SNP-main and -interaction effect on lipid levels. RESULTS: The one-degree of freedom variant-sleep interaction test identified 10 novel loci (Pint<5.0e-9), and we additionally identify 7 loci within the two-degree of freedom analyses (Pjoint<5.0e-9 in combination with Pint<6.6e-6). Multiple loci, including those mapped to APSH (target for aspartic and succinic acid) and SLC8A1 showed biological plausibility and druggability potential based on literature. CONCLUSIONS: Collectively, the 17 (9 with short and 8 with long sleep) loci provided evidence into the biomolecular mechanisms underlying sleep-associated lipid changes, including potential involvement of the vitamin D receptor pathway. Collectively, these findings may contribute developing novel interventions for treating dyslipidemia in people with sleep disturbances.

Humans↗

Genome-wide association study of long COVID.

Infections can lead to persistent symptoms and diseases such as shingles after varicella zoster or rheumatic fever after streptococcal infections. Similarly, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS&#x2011;CoV&#x2011;2) infection can result in long coronavirus disease (COVID), typically manifesting as fatigue, pulmonary symptoms and cognitive dysfunction. The biological mechanisms behind long COVID remain unclear. We performed a genome-wide association study for long COVID including up to 6,450 long COVID cases and 1,093,995 population controls from 24 studies across 16 countries. We discovered an association of FOXP4 with long COVID, independent of its previously identified association with severe COVID-19. The signal was replicated in 9,500 long COVID cases and 798,835 population controls. Given the transcription factor FOXP4's role in lung physiology and pathology, our findings highlight the importance of lung function in the pathophysiology of long COVID.

Humans↗

Leukotriene B4 production in healthy subjects carrying variants of the arachidonate 5-lipoxygenase-activating protein gene associated with a risk of myocardial infarction.

Leukotrienes are implicated in the pathogenesis of coronary artery disease. Recently two haplotypes (HapA and HapB) in the gene encoding ALOX5AP (arachidonate 5-lipoxygenase-activating protein), the main regulator of 5-lipoxygenase, have been associated with a doubling of the risk of myocardial infarction. Studies have also shown that treatment with a leukotriene inhibitor reduces biomarkers of coronary risk in patients carrying HapA, raising the possibility of developing genotype-specific therapy. In the present study, we examined whether carriage of HapA or HapB is associated with increased LTB(4) (leukotriene B(4)) production in healthy subjects. Age- and gender-matched healthy HapA carriers (n=21), HapB carriers (n=20) and non-A/non-B carriers (n=18), with no reported history of cardiovascular disease, were recruited following DNA screening of 1268 subjects from a population-based study. Blood neutrophils were isolated, and LTB(4) production was measured in response to stimulation with 1 mumol/l of the calcium ionophore A23187. There was no difference in the mean level for LTB(4) production in the three groups (non-A/non-B, 24.9+/-8.3 ng/10(6) cells; HapA, 22.2+/-11.9 ng/10(6) cells; HapB, 19.8+/-4.8 ng/10(6); P=0.14). The findings indicate that if either the HapA or the HapB haplotype of ALOX5AP indeed increases cardiovascular risk, then the mechanism is not simply due to a systematically observable effect of the haplotype on LTB(4) production in response to stimulation. The results suggest that knowledge of a patient's haplotype may not provide useful information on the probable clinical response to ALOX5AP inhibitors.

5-Lipoxygenase-Activating Proteins↗

Enhanced linkage of a locus on chromosome 2 to premature coronary artery disease in the absence of hypercholesterolemia.

Linkage studies of complex diseases have so far had limited success in producing significant and replicable results, in part owing to genetic heterogeneity. We recently reported the results of a large genome-wide linkage scan for coronary artery disease (CAD) based on 1933 families. The greatest evidence for linkage was to a region of chromosome 2, with a logarithm of odds (LOD) score of 1.86, based on the non-parametric S(ALL) statistic, which did not reach genome-wide significance (P>0.3). Inclusion of a covariate in linkage analysis can be a powerful method of accounting for disease heterogeneity. As CAD is a heterogeneous disease, we carried out a linkage analysis of chromosome 2 incorporating covariates. Increased evidence for linkage was found when hypercholesterolemia was considered (LOD score including covariate of 4.4) reaching genome-wide significance as assessed by simulation (P=0.04). Results showed that the original evidence for linkage was largely attributable to the subset of 108 non-hypercholesterolemic affected sibling pairs. In separate linkage analyses of subsets of hypercholesterolemic and non-hypercholesterolemic sibling pairs, the maximum LOD scores were 1.09 in the former group and 3.74 in the latter. This result illustrates the potential to increase the power of linkage analysis in the presence of heterogeneity by inclusion of covariates. This linked locus on chromosome 2 should now be investigated further to identify the gene(s) influencing risk of CAD in subjects with a normal level of total cholesterol. Candidate genes include the interleukin 1 cluster and two potential regulators of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level, PLA2R1 and OSBPL6.

Age of Onset↗

LGALS2 functional variant rs7291467 is not associated with susceptibility to myocardial infarction in Caucasians.

Myocardial infarction (MI) is currently among the leading causes of death in the developed world. A functional SNP (rs7291467) in galectin-2 (LGALS2), a protein involved in the LTA cascade, has been associated with susceptibility to MI in the Japanese population. We explored for the first time the hypothesis that the same SNP could be associated with the risk of MI in the British population. We conducted a case-control association study on a cohort of 752 British MI patients and 705 population controls. Power calculations showed that our resource had 98% of power to detect a significant association at OR of 1.57, and 80% power to detect an association with an OR of 1.35 (recessive model). Despite this, we found no significant association of allele frequency with risk of MI. Stratification for age, gender and other cardiovascular risk factors also failed to reveal an association of this polymorphism with MI.

Adult↗

A genomewide linkage study of 1,933 families affected by premature coronary artery disease: The British Heart Foundation (BHF) Family Heart Study.

Coronary artery disease (CAD) and its most important complication, myocardial infarction (MI), are the leading cause of premature death in the Western world. CAD has a substantial genetic basis, especially when it occurs early. We investigated the genetic determinants of premature CAD by performing a genomewide linkage analysis of 4,175 affected subjects from 1,933 families recruited throughout the United Kingdom. Each family had at least two available siblings with CAD, with validated onset before age 66 years. Linkage analysis was performed using 416 microsatellite markers. We observed suggestive linkage, for both CAD and MI, to a region on chromosome 2. For CAD, a LOD score of 1.86 was observed at marker D2S2271, which, in an ordered subset analysis, increased to 2.70 in families (n=1,698) with a minimum age at diagnosis of 56 years or younger. For MI, an overlapping peak with a LOD score of 1.15 was observed at marker D2S2216, which increased to 2.1 in families (n=801) with a minimum age at diagnosis of 59 years or younger. Exclusion mapping showed that 100% of the autosomal genome could be excluded for locus-specific sibling relative risks of 1.5 and 1.6 for CAD and MI, respectively. The region identified on chromosome 2 overlaps linked regions observed in two other smaller genome scans for CAD. Together, these findings strongly suggest that there is a locus on chromosome 2 that influences coronary atherosclerosis risk. The exclusion of a common locus that increases risk of CAD to siblings by >50% has important implications for strategies for further defining the genetic basis of CAD.

Age of Onset↗

Mapping of a major locus that determines telomere length in humans.

Telomere length is a crucial factor for both normal chromosomal function and senescence. Mean telomere length in humans shows considerable interindividual variation and strong genetic determination. To see if a locus (or loci) affecting telomere length in humans could be mapped, we performed a quantitative-trait linkage analysis of mean leukocyte telomere-restriction-fragment (TRF) lengths, measured by Southern blotting, in 383 adult subjects comprising 258 sib pairs. Heritability of mean (+/-SE) TRF was 81.9%+/-11.8%. There was significant linkage (LOD score 3.20) of mean TRF length to a locus on chromosome 12, which explained 49% of the overall variability in mean TRF length. We present preliminary analysis of a strong candidate gene in the region, the DNA helicase DDX11. In conclusion, we report mapping of the first locus that determines mean telomere length in humans. Identification of the gene involved and elucidation of its mechanism of action could have important implications for our understanding of chromosomal assembly, telomere biology, and susceptibility to age-related diseases.

Adolescent↗

NF1 gene analysis based on DHPLC.

The high mutation rate at the NF1 locus results in a wide range of molecular abnormalities. The majority of these mutations are private and rare, generating elevated allelic diversity with a restricted number of recurrent mutations. In this study, we have assessed the efficacy of denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography (DHPLC), for detecting mutation in the NF1 gene. DHPLC is a fast and highly sensitive technique based on the detection of heteroduplexes in PCR products by ion pair reverse-phase HPLC under partially denaturing conditions. We established theoretical conditions for DHPLC analysis of all coding exons and splice junctions of the NF1 gene using the WAVEmaker software version 4.1.40 and screened for mutations a panel of 40 unrelated NF1 patients (25 sporadic and 15 familial), genetically uncharacterized. Disruptive mutations were identified in 29 individuals with an overall mutation detection rate of 72.5%. The mutations included eight deletions (exons 4b, 7, 10a, 14, 26, and 31), one insertion (exon 8), nine nonsense mutation (exons 10a, 13, 23.1, 27a, 29, 31, and 36), six missense mutations (exons 15, 16, 17, 24, and 31), four splice errors (exons 11, 14, 36, and 40) and a complex rearrangement within exon 16. Eighteen (62%) of the identified disruptive mutations are novel. Seven unclassified and three previously reported polymorphisms were also detected. None of the missense mutations identified in this study were found after screening of 150 controls. Our results suggest that DHPLC provides an accurate method for the rapid identification of NF1 mutations.

Adult↗

Assignment of a locus for autosomal dominant idiopathic scoliosis (IS) to human chromosome 17p11.

Idiopathic scoliosis (IS) is a spine deformity of unknown etiology. Family studies have suggested that IS may be inherited as a mendelian autosomal dominant trait. We have performed linkage analysis on a three-generation IS Italian family. A positive LOD score value of 3.20 at theta=0.00 was detected with marker D17S799 after a genome-wide scanning. Analysis of six flanking microsatellites confirmed the linkage and haplotype inspection defined an interval of about 20 cM between D17S947 and D17S798. This is the first locus reported for IS. We scored genes mapping in this interval and studied the heparan sulfotransferase genes as candidates on the basis of their biochemical role. No causative mutation was detected in the affected patients.

Adult↗