Open AccessGenome-wide association study identifies genetic risk loci for adiposity in a Taiwanese population
Author(s) -
Henry Sung-Ching Wong,
Szu-Yi Tsai,
HouWei Chu,
Min Lin,
Gan-Hong Lin,
YuTing Tai,
ChenYang Shen,
WeiChiao Chang
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
plos genetics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.587
H-Index - 233
eISSN - 1553-7404
pISSN - 1553-7390
DOI - 10.1371/journal.pgen.1009952
Subject(s) - genome wide association study , biology , single nucleotide polymorphism , obesity , body mass index , overweight , genetic association , genetics , population , heritability , fto gene , waist , endocrinology , medicine , gene , genotype , environmental health
Overweight and obese are risk factors for various diseases. In Taiwan, the combined prevalence of overweight and obesity has increased dramatically. Here, we conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) on four adiposity traits, including body-mass index (BMI), body fat percentage (BF%), waist circumference (WC), and waist-hip ratio (WHR), using the data for more than 21,000 subjects in Taiwan Biobank. Associations were evaluated between 6,546,460 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and adiposity traits, yielding 13 genome-wide significant (GWS) adiposity-associated trait-loci pairs. A known gene, FTO , as well as two BF%-associated loci ( GNPDA2-GABRG1 [4p12] and RNU6-2-PIAS1 [15q23]) were identified as pleiotropic effects. Moreover, RALGAPA1 was found as a specific genetic predisposing factor to high BMI in a Taiwanese population. Compared to other populations, a slightly lower heritability of the four adiposity traits was found in our cohort. Surprisingly, we uncovered the importance of neural pathways that might influence BF%, WC and WHR in the Taiwanese (East Asian) population. Additionally, a moderate genetic correlation between the WHR and BMI (γ g = 0.52; p = 2.37×10 −9 ) was detected, suggesting different genetic determinants exist for abdominal adiposity and overall adiposity. In conclusion, the obesity-related genetic loci identified here provide new insights into the genetic underpinnings of adiposity in the Taiwanese population.