Genetic Analyses of Common Infections in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children Cohort
Year: 2021
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: The burden of infections on an individual and public health is profound. Many observational studies have shown a link between infections and the pathogenesis of disease; however a greater understanding of the role of host genetics is essential. Children from the longitudinal birth cohort, the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, had 14 antibodies measured in plasma at age 7: Alpha-casein protein, beta-casein protein, cytomegalovirus, Epstein-Barr virus, feline herpes virus, Helicobacter pylori , herpes simplex virus 1, influenza virus subtype H1N1, influenza virus subtype H3N2, measles virus, Saccharomyces cerevisiae , Theiler’s virus, Toxoplasma gondii , and SAG1 protein domain, a surface antigen of Toxoplasma gondii measured for greater precision. We performed genome-wide association analyses of antibody levels against 14 infections (N = 357 – 5010) and identified three genome-wide signals ( P < 5×10 −8 ), two associated with measles virus antibodies and one with Toxoplasma gondii antibodies. In an association analysis focused on the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) region of the genome, we further detected 15 HLA alleles at a two-digit resolution and 23 HLA alleles at a four-digit resolution associated with five antibodies, with eight HLA alleles associated with Epstein-Barr virus antibodies showing strong evidence of replication in UK Biobank. Our findings provide a useful resource for any future studies using the ALSPAC infection data and contributes to the understanding of the architecture of host genetics related to infections.
Source: Frontiers in Immunology
Language: English
Subfield: Genetics
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,950
Awards: G1087756281, G1182606701, G1205690636, G1222096694, G1684393010, G1793884970, ALSPAC: consolidation of a two generation cell line backed resource, for the study of the environment and genetic determinants of health and development from before birth to late puberty., G1924190148, G2179969359, G2190462495, G2264987658, G2291477964, G2538597952, G3046626360, G3283741708, The Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC): A multi- generation, longitudinal resource focusing on life course health and well- being., G3915381216, G3957671202, G3987754321, G5192599444, The causal map of the human phenome, Statistical Methods for Improving Causal Analyses, G5850737185, G6050707053, Data mining epidemiological relationships: integration of causal analysis with published evidence, G6689231961, Causes, Consequences and Modification of Health Behaviour, Epigenetic Epidemiology, Mendelian randomization to hypothesis-free causal inference, G6940952066, G792825315, The Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC): A multi-generation, longitudinal resource focusing on life course health and well-being., G7990456425, G801210579, G8393905554, G8502142660, G996504807
OpenAlex ID: W3214404993