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Insights into the genetic architecture of haematological traits from deep phenotyping and whole-genome sequencing for two Mediterranean isolated populations

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Peer-reviewed

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Authors

Kuchenbaecker, Karoline 
Gilly, Arthur 
Suveges, Daniel 
Southam, Lorraine 
Giannakopoulou, Olga 

Abstract

jats:titleAbstract</jats:title>jats:pHaematological traits are linked to cardiovascular, metabolic, infectious and immune disorders, as well as cancer. Here, we examine the role of genetic variation in shaping haematological traits in two isolated Mediterranean populations. Using whole-genome sequencing data at 22× depth for 1457 individuals from Crete (MANOLIS) and 1617 from the Pomak villages in Greece, we carry out a genome-wide association scan for haematological traits using linear mixed models. We discover novel associations (jats:italicp</jats:italic> < 5 × 10jats:sup–9</jats:sup>) of five rare non-coding variants with alleles conferring effects of 1.44–2.63 units of standard deviation on red and white blood cell count, platelet and red cell distribution width. Moreover, 10.0% of individuals in the Pomak population and 6.8% in MANOLIS carry a pathogenic mutation in the Haemoglobin Subunit Beta (HBB) gene. The mutational spectrum is highly diverse (10 different mutations). The most frequent mutation in MANOLIS is the common Mediterranean variant IVS-I-110 (G>A) (rs35004220). In the Pomak population, c.364C>A (“HbO-Arab”, rs33946267) is most frequent (4.4% allele frequency). We demonstrate effects on haematological and other traits, including bilirubin, cholesterol, and, in MANOLIS, height and gestation age. We find less severe effects on red blood cell traits for HbS, HbO, and IVS-I-6 (T>C) compared to other b+ mutations. Overall, we uncover allelic diversity of jats:italicHBB</jats:italic> in Greek isolated populations and find an important role for additional rare variants outside of jats:italicHBB</jats:italic>.</jats:p>

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Journal Title

Scientific Reports

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

2045-2322
2045-2322

Volume Title

Publisher

Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Sponsorship
European Research Council (ERC-2011-StG 280559-SEPI).