Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Genome-Wide Association Meta-Analysis of Cortical Bone Mineral Density Unravels Allelic Heterogeneity at the RANKL Locus and Potential Pleiotropic Effects on Bone

Paternoster, Lavinia ; Lorentzon, Mattias ; Vandenput, Liesbeth ; Karlsson, Magnus LU ; Ljunggren, Osten ; Kindmark, Andreas ; Mellstrom, Dan ; Kemp, John P. ; Jarett, Caroline E. and Holly, Jeff M. P. , et al. (2010) In PLoS Genetics 6(11).
Abstract
Previous genome-wide association (GWA) studies have identified SNPs associated with areal bone mineral density (aBMD). However, this measure is influenced by several different skeletal parameters, such as periosteal expansion, cortical bone mineral density (BMDC) cortical thickness, trabecular number, and trabecular thickness, which may be under distinct biological and genetic control. We have carried out a GWA and replication study of BMDC, as measured by peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT), a more homogenous and valid measure of actual volumetric bone density. After initial GWA meta-analysis of two cohorts (ALSPAC n = 999, aged similar to 15 years and GOOD n = 935, aged similar to 19 years), we attempted to replicate the... (More)
Previous genome-wide association (GWA) studies have identified SNPs associated with areal bone mineral density (aBMD). However, this measure is influenced by several different skeletal parameters, such as periosteal expansion, cortical bone mineral density (BMDC) cortical thickness, trabecular number, and trabecular thickness, which may be under distinct biological and genetic control. We have carried out a GWA and replication study of BMDC, as measured by peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT), a more homogenous and valid measure of actual volumetric bone density. After initial GWA meta-analysis of two cohorts (ALSPAC n = 999, aged similar to 15 years and GOOD n = 935, aged similar to 19 years), we attempted to replicate the BMDC associations that had p<1 x 10(-5) in an independent sample of ALSPAC children (n = 2803) and in a cohort of elderly men (MrOS Sweden, n = 1052). The rs1021188 SNP (near RANKL) was associated with BMDC in all cohorts (overall p = 2 x 10(-14), n = 5739). Each minor allele was associated with a decrease in BMDC of similar to 0.14SD. There was also evidence for an interaction between this variant and sex (p = 0.01), with a stronger effect in males than females (at age 15, males -6.77mg/cm(3) per C allele, p = 2 x 10(-6); females -2.79 mg/cm(3) per C allele, p = 0.004). Furthermore, in a preliminary analysis, the rs1021188 minor C allele was associated with higher circulating levels of sRANKL (p<0.005). We show this variant to be independent from the previously aBMD associated SNP (rs9594738) and possibly from a third variant in the same RANKL region, which demonstrates important allelic heterogeneity at this locus. Associations with skeletal parameters reflecting bone dimensions were either not found or were much less pronounced. This finding implicates RANKL as a locus containing variation associated with volumetric bone density and provides further insight into the mechanism by which the RANK/RANKL/OPG pathway may be involved in skeletal development. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; and , et al. (More)
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; and (Less)
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
PLoS Genetics
volume
6
issue
11
publisher
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
external identifiers
  • wos:000284587100031
  • scopus:78649692094
  • pmid:21124946
ISSN
1553-7404
DOI
10.1371/journal.pgen.1001217
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
6c6b74ae-47fe-40fa-bfe8-d22fc93df1f8 (old id 1752078)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 11:07:25
date last changed
2024-01-07 08:54:45
@article{6c6b74ae-47fe-40fa-bfe8-d22fc93df1f8,
  abstract     = {{Previous genome-wide association (GWA) studies have identified SNPs associated with areal bone mineral density (aBMD). However, this measure is influenced by several different skeletal parameters, such as periosteal expansion, cortical bone mineral density (BMDC) cortical thickness, trabecular number, and trabecular thickness, which may be under distinct biological and genetic control. We have carried out a GWA and replication study of BMDC, as measured by peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT), a more homogenous and valid measure of actual volumetric bone density. After initial GWA meta-analysis of two cohorts (ALSPAC n = 999, aged similar to 15 years and GOOD n = 935, aged similar to 19 years), we attempted to replicate the BMDC associations that had p&lt;1 x 10(-5) in an independent sample of ALSPAC children (n = 2803) and in a cohort of elderly men (MrOS Sweden, n = 1052). The rs1021188 SNP (near RANKL) was associated with BMDC in all cohorts (overall p = 2 x 10(-14), n = 5739). Each minor allele was associated with a decrease in BMDC of similar to 0.14SD. There was also evidence for an interaction between this variant and sex (p = 0.01), with a stronger effect in males than females (at age 15, males -6.77mg/cm(3) per C allele, p = 2 x 10(-6); females -2.79 mg/cm(3) per C allele, p = 0.004). Furthermore, in a preliminary analysis, the rs1021188 minor C allele was associated with higher circulating levels of sRANKL (p&lt;0.005). We show this variant to be independent from the previously aBMD associated SNP (rs9594738) and possibly from a third variant in the same RANKL region, which demonstrates important allelic heterogeneity at this locus. Associations with skeletal parameters reflecting bone dimensions were either not found or were much less pronounced. This finding implicates RANKL as a locus containing variation associated with volumetric bone density and provides further insight into the mechanism by which the RANK/RANKL/OPG pathway may be involved in skeletal development.}},
  author       = {{Paternoster, Lavinia and Lorentzon, Mattias and Vandenput, Liesbeth and Karlsson, Magnus and Ljunggren, Osten and Kindmark, Andreas and Mellstrom, Dan and Kemp, John P. and Jarett, Caroline E. and Holly, Jeff M. P. and Sayers, Adrian and St Pourcain, Beate and Timpson, Nicholas J. and Deloukas, Panos and Smith, George Davey and Ring, Susan M. and Evans, David M. and Tobias, Jon H. and Ohlsson, Claes}},
  issn         = {{1553-7404}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{11}},
  publisher    = {{Public Library of Science (PLoS)}},
  series       = {{PLoS Genetics}},
  title        = {{Genome-Wide Association Meta-Analysis of Cortical Bone Mineral Density Unravels Allelic Heterogeneity at the RANKL Locus and Potential Pleiotropic Effects on Bone}},
  url          = {{https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/files/2398193/1762474.pdf}},
  doi          = {{10.1371/journal.pgen.1001217}},
  volume       = {{6}},
  year         = {{2010}},
}