Large-scale analyses of common and rare variants identify 12 new loci associated with atrial fibrillation.

Nat Genet
Authors
Keywords
Abstract

Atrial fibrillation affects more than 33 million people worldwide and increases the risk of stroke, heart failure, and death. Fourteen genetic loci have been associated with atrial fibrillation in European and Asian ancestry groups. To further define the genetic basis of atrial fibrillation, we performed large-scale, trans-ancestry meta-analyses of common and rare variant association studies. The genome-wide association studies (GWAS) included 17,931 individuals with atrial fibrillation and 115,142 referents; the exome-wide association studies (ExWAS) and rare variant association studies (RVAS) involved 22,346 cases and 132,086 referents. We identified 12 new genetic loci that exceeded genome-wide significance, implicating genes involved in cardiac electrical and structural remodeling. Our results nearly double the number of known genetic loci for atrial fibrillation, provide insights into the molecular basis of atrial fibrillation, and may facilitate the identification of new potential targets for drug discovery.

Year of Publication
2017
Journal
Nat Genet
Volume
49
Issue
6
Pages
946-952
Date Published
2017 Jun
ISSN
1546-1718
DOI
10.1038/ng.3843
PubMed ID
28416818
PubMed Central ID
PMC5585859
Links
Grant list
K24 HL105780 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
R01 HL092217 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
R01 HL092577 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
U01 HL130114 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
R01 HL128914 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
R01 HL090620 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
R01 HL111314 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States