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Genetic control of gene expression in whole blood and lymphoblastoid cell lines is largely independent.

ABSTRACT: The degree to which the level of genetic variation for gene expression is shared across multiple tissues has important implications for research investigating the role of expression on the etiology of complex human traits and diseases. In the last few years, several studies have been published reporting the extent of overlap in expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) identified in multiple tissues or cell types. Although these studies provide important information on the regulatory control of genes across tissues, their limited power means that they can typically only explain a small proportion of genetic variation for gene expression. Here, using expression data from monozygotic twins (MZ), we investigate the genetic control of gene expression in lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCL) and whole blood (WB). We estimate the genetic correlation that represents the combined effects of all causal loci across the whole genome and is a measure of the level of common genetic control of gene expression between the two RNA sources. Our results show that, when averaged across the genome, mean levels of genetic correlation for gene expression in LCL and WB samples are close to zero. We support our results with evidence from gene expression in an independent sample of LCL, T-cells, and fibroblasts. In addition, we provide evidence that housekeeping genes, which maintain basic cellular functions, are more likely to have high genetic correlations between the RNA sources than non-housekeeping genes, implying a relationship between the transcript function and the degree to which a gene has tissue-specific genetic regulatory control.

SUBMITTER: Powell JE

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3290781 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Genetic control of gene expression in whole blood and lymphoblastoid cell lines is largely independent.

Powell Joseph E JE Henders Anjali K AK McRae Allan F AF Wright Margaret J MJ Martin Nicholas G NG Dermitzakis Emmanouil T ET Montgomery Grant W GW Visscher Peter M PM

Genome research 20111219 3

The degree to which the level of genetic variation for gene expression is shared across multiple tissues has important implications for research investigating the role of expression on the etiology of complex human traits and diseases. In the last few years, several studies have been published reporting the extent of overlap in expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) identified in multiple tissues or cell types. Although these studies provide important information on the regulatory control of ...[more]

PMID: 22183966

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Project description:The degree to which the level of genetic variation for gene expression is shared across multiple tissues has important implications for research investigating the role of expression on the aetiology of complex human traits and diseases. In the last few years, a number of studies have been published reporting the extent of overlap in expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) identified in multiple tissues or cell types. Whilst these studies provide important information on the regulatory control of genes across tissues, their limited power means they can typically only explain a small proportion of genetic variation for gene expression. Here, using expression data from monozygotic twins (MZ), we investigate the genetic control of gene expression in lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCL) and whole blood (WB). We estimate the genetic correlation which represents the combined effects of all causal loci across the whole genome and is a measure of the level of common genetic control of gene expression between the two RNA sources. Our results show that, when averaged across the genome, mean levels of genetic correlation for gene expression in LCL and WB samples are close to zero. We support our results with evidence from gene expression in an independent sample of LCL, T-cells and Fibroblasts. In addition, we provide evidence that housekeeping genes, which maintain basic cellular functions, are more likely to have high genetic correlations between the RNA sources than non-housekeeping gene, implying a relationship between the transcript function and the degree to which a gene has tissue specific genetic regulatory control. In this study, the global genetic control of expression levels for 9555 genes were examined from two samples of RNA sources, collected on pairs of monozygotic (MZ) twins. From each individual, gene expression profiles were generated whole blood (WB), collected using the PAXgeneTM tube system, and lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCL). Using expression data collected from MZ twins is a powerful means of estimating the genetic contribution of expression variation. In particular, the observed phenotypic covariance in gene expression in LCLs and WBs between MZ twins can be partitioned into variation due to within-person environmental effects and between-person genetic effects.

Project description:BackgroundStatins are widely prescribed to lower plasma low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels. Though statins reduce cardiovascular disease risk overall, statin efficacy varies, and some people experience adverse side effects while on statin treatment. Statins also have pleiotropic effects not directly related to their cholesterol-lowering properties, but the mechanisms are not well understood. To identify potential genetic modulators of clinical statin response, we looked for genetic variants associated with statin-induced changes in gene expression (differential eQTLs or deQTLs) in lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCLs) derived from participants of the Cholesterol and Pharmacogenetics (CAP) 40 mg/day 6-week simvastatin clinical trial. We exposed CAP LCLs to 2 μM simvastatin or control buffer for 24 h and performed polyA-selected, strand-specific RNA-seq. Statin-induced changes in gene expression from 259 European ancestry or 153 African American ancestry LCLs were adjusted for potential confounders prior to association with genotyped and imputed genetic variants within 1 Mb of each gene's transcription start site.ResultsFrom the deQTL meta-analysis of the two ancestral populations, we identified significant cis-deQTLs for 15 genes (TBC1D4, MDGA1, CHI3L2, OAS1, GATM, ASNSD1, GLUL, TDRD12, PPIP5K2, OAS3, SERPINB1, ANKDD1A, DTD1, CYFIP2, and GSDME), eight of which were significant in at least one of the ancestry subsets alone. We also conducted eQTL analyses of the endogenous (control-treated), statin-treated, and average of endogenous and statin-treated LCL gene expression levels. We identified eQTLs for approximately 6000 genes in each of the three (endogenous, statin-treated, and average) eQTL meta-analyses, with smaller numbers identified in the ancestral subsets alone.ConclusionsSeveral of the genes in which we identified deQTLs have functions in human health and disease, such as defense from viruses, glucose regulation, and response to chemotherapy drugs. This suggests that DNA variation may play a role in statin effects on various health outcomes. These findings could prove useful to future studies aiming to assess benefit versus risk of statin treatment using individual genetic profiles.

Dataset Information

Genetic control of gene expression in whole blood and lymphoblastoid cell lines is largely independent.

Publications

Genetic control of gene expression in whole blood and lymphoblastoid cell lines is largely independent.

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