C-reactive protein (CRP) is a sensitive biomarker of chronic low-grade inflammation and is associated with multiple complex diseases. The genetic determinants of chronic inflammation remain largely unknown, and the causal role of CRP in several clinical outcomes is debated. We performed two genome-wide association studies (GWASs), on HapMap and 1000 Genomes imputed data, of circulating amounts of CRP by using data from 88 studies comprising 204,402 European individuals. Additionally, we performed in silico functional analyses and Mendelian randomization analyses with several clinical outcomes. The GWAS meta-analyses of CRP revealed 58 distinct genetic loci (p < 5 × 10-8). After adjustment for body mass index in the regression analysis, the associations at all except three loci remained. The lead variants at the distinct loci explained up to 7.0% of the variance in circulating amounts of CRP. We identified 66 gene sets that were organized in two substantially correlated clusters, one mainly composed of immune pathways and the other characterized by metabolic pathways in the liver. Mendelian randomization analyses revealed a causal protective effect of CRP on schizophrenia and a risk-increasing effect on bipolar disorder. Our findings provide further insights into the biology of inflammation and could lead to interventions for treating inflammation and its clinical consequences.
Copyright © 2018 American Society of Human Genetics. All rights reserved.
Overview publication
Title | Genome Analyses of >200,000 Individuals Identify 58 Loci for Chronic Inflammation and Highlight Pathways that Link Inflammation and Complex Disorders. |
Date | November 1st, 2018 |
Issue name | American journal of human genetics |
Issue number | v103.5:691-706 |
DOI | 10.1016/j.ajhg.2018.09.009 |
PubMed | 30388399 |
Authors | |
Info | Alizadeh BZ, Boezen HM, Franke L, van der Harst P, Navis G, Rots M, Snieder H, Swertz M, Wolffenbuttel BHR, Wijmenga C, Benjamin E, Chasman DI, Dehghan A, Ahluwalia TS, Meigs J, Tracy R, Alizadeh BZ, Ligthart S, Bis J, Eiriksdottir G, Pankratz N, Gross M, Rainer A, Snieder H, Wilson JG, Psaty BM, Dupuis J, Prins B, Vaso U, Stathopoulou M, Franke L, Lehtimaki T, Koenig W, Jamshidi Y, Siest S, Abbasi A, Uitterlinden AG, Abdollahi M, Schnabel R, Schick UM, Nolte IM, Kraja A, Hsu YH, Tylee DS, Zwicker A, Uher R, Davey-Smith G, Morrison AC, Hicks A, van Duijn CM, Ward-Caviness C, Boerwinkle E, Rotter J, Rice K, Lange L, Perola M, de Geus E, Morris AP, Makela KM, Stacey D, Eriksson J, Frayling TM, Slagboom EP |
Keywords | C-reactive protein, DEPICT, Mendelian randomization, coronary artery disease, genome-wide association study, inflammation, inflammatory disorders, schizophrenia, system biology |
Read | Read publication |