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Expanded genomic analyses for male voice-breaking highlights a shared phenotypic and genetic basis between puberty timing and hair colour

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Peer-reviewed

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Article

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Abstract

The timing of puberty is highly variable and is associated with long-term health outcomes. To date, understanding of the genetic control of puberty timing is based largely on studies in women. Here, we report a multi-trait genome-wide association study for male puberty timing with an effective sample size of 205,354 men. We find moderately strong genomic correlation in puberty timing between sexes (rg=0.68) and identify 76 independent signals for male puberty timing. Implicated mechanisms include an unexpected link between puberty timing and natural hair colour, possibly reflecting common effects of pituitary hormones on puberty and pigmentation. Earlier male puberty timing is genetically correlated with several adverse health outcomes and Mendelian randomization analyses show a genetic association between male puberty timing and shorter lifespan. These findings highlight the relationships between puberty timing and health outcomes, and demonstrate the value of genetic studies of puberty timing in both sexes.

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Journal Title

Nature Communications

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Journal ISSN

2041-1723
2041-1723

Volume Title

11

Publisher

Springer Nature

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All rights reserved
Sponsorship
MRC (MC_UU_12015/2)
National Cancer Institute (NCI) (U19CA148537)
EC FP7 CP (223175)
Cancer Research UK (CRUK-A16563)
Cancer Research UK (CRUK-A10118)
MRC (MC_UU_00006/2)