Year: 2013
Type: review
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Economic variables such as income, education, and occupation are known to affect mortality and morbidity, such as cardiovascular disease, and have also been shown to be partly heritable. However, very little is known about which genes influence economic variables, although these genes may have both a direct and an indirect effect on health. We report results from the first large-scale collaboration that studies the molecular genetic architecture of an economic variable-entrepreneurship-that was operationalized using self-employment, a widely-available proxy. Our results suggest that common SNPs when considered jointly explain about half of the narrow-sense heritability of self-employment estimated in twin data (σ(g)(2)/σ(P)(2) = 25%, h(2) = 55%). However, a meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies across sixteen studies comprising 50,627 participants did not identify genome-wide significant SNPs. 58 SNPs with p<10(-5) were tested in a replication sample (n = 3,271), but none replicated. Furthermore, a gene-based test shows that none of the genes that were previously suggested in the literature to influence entrepreneurship reveal significant associations. Finally, SNP-based genetic scores that use results from the meta-analysis capture less than 0.2% of the variance in self-employment in an independent sample (p≥0.039). Our results are consistent with a highly polygenic molecular genetic architecture of self-employment, with many genetic variants of small effect. Although self-employment is a multi-faceted, heavily environmentally influenced, and biologically distal trait, our results are similar to those for other genetically complex and biologically more proximate outcomes, such as height, intelligence, personality, and several diseases.
Source: PLoS ONE
Authors: Matthijs J. H. M. van der Loos, Cornelius A. Rietveld, Niina Eklund, Philipp D. Koellinger, Fernando Rivadeneira, Gonçalo R. Abecasis, Georgina A. Ankra-Badu, Sebastian E. Baumeister, Daniel J. Benjamin, Reiner Biffar, Stefan Blankenberg, Dorret I. Boomsma, David Cesarini, Francesco Cucca, Eco J. C. de Geus, George Dedoussis, Panos Deloukas, Maria Dimitriou, Guðny Eiriksdottir, Johan Eriksson, Christian Gieger, Vilmundur Gudnason, Birgit Höhne, Rolf Holle, Jouke-Jan Hottenga, Aaron Isaacs, Marjo-Riitta Järvelin, Magnus Johannesson, Marika Kaakinen, Mika Kähönen, Stavroula Kanoni, Maarit A. Laaksonen, Jari Lahti, Lenore J. Launer, Terho Lehtimäki, Marisa Loitfelder, Patrik K. E. Magnusson, Silvia Naitza, Ben A. Oostra, Markus Perola, Katja Petrovic, Lydia Quaye, Olli Raitakari, Samuli Ripatti, Paul Scheet, David Schlessinger, Carsten O. Schmidt, Helena Schmidt, Reinhold Schmidt, Andrea Senft, Albert V. Smith, Timothy D. Spector, Ida Surakka, Rauli Svento, Antonio Terracciano, Emmi Tikkanen, Cornelia M. van Duijn, Jorma Viikari, Henry Völzke, H. -Erich Wichmann, Philipp S. Wild, Sara M. Willems, Gonneke Willemsen, Frank J. A. van Rooij, Patrick J. F. Groenen, André G. Uitterlinden, Albert Hofman, A. Roy Thurik
Institutions: Erasmus MC, Erasmus University Rotterdam, University of Helsinki, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland, University of Michigan, King's College London, Universitätsmedizin Greifswald, Cornell University, Universität Greifswald, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, New York University, Institute of Genetic and Biomedical Research, National Research Council, Harokopio University of Athens, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Icelandic Heart Association, Helsinki University Hospital, Vaasa Central Hospital, Folkhälsans Forskningscentrum, Helmholtz Munich, University of Iceland, Centre for Medical Systems Biology, Imperial College London, University of Oulu, Stockholm School of Economics, Tampere University, Tampere University Hospital, University of Tampere, National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Aging, Fimlab (Finland), Medical University of Graz, Karolinska Institutet, University of Tartu, University of Turku, Turku University Hospital, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, University of Lübeck, Florida State University, München Klinik, Institut für Medizinische Informationsverarbeitung, Biometrie und Epidemiologie, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Panteia (Netherlands), MBS School of Business
Language: English
Subfield: Genetics
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,382
Funders: University of Michigan, Wellcome Trust, National Institute for Health and Care Research, European Commission, European Science Foundation, ZonMw, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Kela, Academy of Finland, Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung, Austrian Science Fund, Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek, Novo Nordisk, Signe ja Ane Gyllenbergin Säätiö, Oulun Yliopisto, Hersenstichting, Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz, Medizinische Universität Graz, Hjartavernd, Terveyden ja hyvinvoinnin laitos, Centre for Medical Systems Biology, Norwegian Biodiversity Information Centre, National Institutes of Health, U.S. Public Health Service, Medical Research Council, Münchner Zentrum für Gesundheitswissenschaften, Biocenter, University of Oulu, National Institute on Aging, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institute of Mental Health, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, European Social Fund
Awards: G1028663679, G1093531541, G1108774313, G1110999434, G1180809207, G119964413, G1311351439, G1389291084, G1409398652, G1438682972, G1447699044, G1449130676, THE AGES STUDY - THE REYKJAVIK STUDY OF HEALTHY AGING FOR THE NEW MILLENUM, G16286648, G1679186985, G1689944598, G178033515, G178382592, G1846835827, G185733499, G2098337849, G2238725043, G230712557, G2324588096, G2424230848, Interstitial Cystitis in Swedish Twins, G250924255, G2563833389, G2861369480, G294002421, G2973790809, G3077543175, G3121967442, G3207356259, G3294462333, Genetic Influences on ADHD in a Finnish Birth Cohort, G3316531930, G3367174484, G3381003921, G3402222819, G3428355823, G3444887196, G3514318409, G3520205971, G357049385, G3728971702, G3785373358, G3814398992, G3865460896, G393177772, Genomics of Developmental Trajectories in Twins, G4257988455, G431860981, G4367295956, G4446757277, G4460629988, G4515475997, G451789889, G4522554349, G4536776401, G4544423771, G4599390081, G4663226093, European Network for Genetic and Genomic Epidemiology, G4735382418, G4757721458, G483456127, G4870157667, G4975632709, G5087288417, Genetics of cardiovascular risk factors in large founder population birth control, G5176409192, Robust Software Tools for Variant Identification and Functional Assessment, G5357370535, G536623562, G5418186242, G5468713758, G5471839915, Limited Competition: Continuation of the Center for Genomic Studies on Mental Disorders, G5702163051, G5767309141, G5822176667, G5849731031, G591084189, CHARGE consortium: omics discovery for CVD and aging phenotypes, G5994639858, G6003490063, G6087908568, G6091493096, G616188461, Genetics of Cerebral Small Vessel Disease, G6226380888, Whole Genome Assoc. Analysis Strategies for Multi. Phenotypes, G626177176, G634521393, G6370947073, G6518651994, G6519421474, G6562605244, G6663973959, G6728033037, G70080636, G7154858182, G7219708928, G7229602471, G7333372387, G7373387228, MRI white matter abnormalities in the elderly: Genetic risk factors, rate of progression and neuropsychologic consequences, G7558636403, G7764220001, G7780068114, G7787549875, G7836598383, G792437752, Integration of Genomics & Transcriptomics in Normal Twins & Major Depression, G822877548, G8263226176, G8345909828, G8547141348, G8662178672, Major Depression: Stage 1 Genomewide Association in Population-Based Samples, G86865590, G8713346975, G8779995270, Health and Retirement Study: Yrs 35-40, G961365294
OpenAlex ID: W2084724580