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Genome-wide association analysis identifies novel loci for chronotype in 100,420 individuals from the UK Biobank.

ABSTRACT: Our sleep timing preference, or chronotype, is a manifestation of our internal biological clock. Variation in chronotype has been linked to sleep disorders, cognitive and physical performance, and chronic disease. Here we perform a genome-wide association study of self-reported chronotype within the UK Biobank cohort (n=100,420). We identify 12 new genetic loci that implicate known components of the circadian clock machinery and point to previously unstudied genetic variants and candidate genes that might modulate core circadian rhythms or light-sensing pathways. Pathway analyses highlight central nervous and ocular systems and fear-response-related processes. Genetic correlation analysis suggests chronotype shares underlying genetic pathways with schizophrenia, educational attainment and possibly BMI. Further, Mendelian randomization suggests that evening chronotype relates to higher educational attainment. These results not only expand our knowledge of the circadian system in humans but also expose the influence of circadian characteristics over human health and life-history variables such as educational attainment.

SUBMITTER: Lane JM

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4786869 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Genome-wide association analysis identifies novel loci for chronotype in 100,420 individuals from the UK Biobank.

Lane Jacqueline M JM Vlasac Irma I Anderson Simon G SG Kyle Simon D SD Dixon William G WG Bechtold David A DA Gill Shubhroz S Little Max A MA Luik Annemarie A Loudon Andrew A Emsley Richard R Scheer Frank A J L FA Scheer Frank A J L FA Lawlor Deborah A DA Redline Susan S Ray David W DW Rutter Martin K MK Saxena Richa R

Nature communications 20160309

Our sleep timing preference, or chronotype, is a manifestation of our internal biological clock. Variation in chronotype has been linked to sleep disorders, cognitive and physical performance, and chronic disease. Here we perform a genome-wide association study of self-reported chronotype within the UK Biobank cohort (n=100,420). We identify 12 new genetic loci that implicate known components of the circadian clock machinery and point to previously unstudied genetic variants and candidate genes ...[more]

PMID: 26955885

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Project description:Understanding how genomes encode complex cellular and organismal behaviors is an outstanding challenge of modern genetics. Unlike classical screening methods, analysis of the genetic variation that occurs naturally in wild populations can enable rapid, genome-scale trait mapping with a medium-throughput experimental design. Here we describe the results of the first genome-wide association analysis (GWAS) of a microbial eukaryote, using wild isolates of the filamentous fungus Neurospora crassa. We transcriptionally profiled each of 112 individuals collected in Louisiana and used RNA-seq data to genotype each strain at thousands of genetic loci genome-wide. We used these genotypes in a mapping analysis of microbial communication. In N. crassa, germinated asexual spores (germlings) sense the presence of other germlings, grow toward them in a coordinated fashion, and fuse. We evaluated germlings of each strain for their ability to chemically sense, chemotropically seek, and undergo cell fusion. GWAS identified one gene, NCU04379 (cse-1, encoding a homolog of neuronal calcium sensor), at which inheritance was strongly associated with the efficiency of germling communication. Deletion of cse-1 significantly lowered germling communication and fusion, and two genes encoding predicted binding partners of CSE-1 were also required for the communication trait. Additionally, mining our association results for signaling and secretion genes with a potential role in germling communication, we validated six more novel determinants of germling communication, including a secreted protease and two other genes whose deletion conferred a novel phenotype of increased communication and multi-germling fusion. These results establish protein secretion as a linchpin of germling communication in N. crassa and shed light on the regulation of communication molecules in this fungus. Our study demonstrates the power of population-genetic analyses for the rapid identification of genes contributing to complex traits in microbial species. 112 mycelial mRNA profiles of 16 hour wild type (WT) Neurospora crassa strains were generated by deep sequencing, using Illumina GAIIx.

Project description:Understanding how genomes encode complex cellular and organismal behaviors has become the outstanding challenge of modern genetics. Unlike classical screening methods, analysis of genetic variation that occurs naturally in wild populations can enable rapid, genome-scale mapping of genotype to phenotype with a medium-throughput experimental design. Here we describe the results of the first genome-wide association study (GWAS) used to identify novel loci underlying trait variation in a microbial eukaryote, harnessing wild isolates of the filamentous fungus Neurospora crassa. We genotyped each of a population of wild Louisiana strains at 1 million genetic loci genome-wide, and we used these genotypes to map genetic determinants of microbial communication. In N. crassa, germinated asexual spores (germlings) sense the presence of other germlings, grow toward them in a coordinated fashion, and fuse. We evaluated germlings of each strain for their ability to chemically sense, chemotropically seek, and undergo cell fusion, and we subjected these trait measurements to GWAS. This analysis identified one gene, NCU04379 (cse-1, encoding a homolog of a neuronal calcium sensor), at which inheritance was strongly associated with the efficiency of germling communication. Deletion of cse-1 significantly impaired germling communication and fusion, and two genes encoding predicted interaction partners of CSE1 were also required for the communication trait. Additionally, mining our association results for signaling and secretion genes with a potential role in germling communication, we validated six more previously unknown molecular players, including a secreted protease and two other genes whose deletion conferred a novel phenotype of increased communication and multi-germling fusion. Our results establish protein secretion as a linchpin of germling communication in N. crassa and shed light on the regulation of communication molecules in this fungus. Our study demonstrates the power of population-genetic analyses for the rapid identification of genes contributing to complex traits in microbial species.

Dataset Information

Genome-wide association analysis identifies novel loci for chronotype in 100,420 individuals from the UK Biobank.

Publications

Genome-wide association analysis identifies novel loci for chronotype in 100,420 individuals from the UK Biobank.

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