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Abstract
Preeclampsia, which affects approximately 5% of pregnancies, is a leading cause of maternal and perinatal death. The causes of preeclampsia remain unclear, but there is evidence for inherited susceptibility. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have not identified maternal sequence variants of genome-wide significance that replicate in independent data sets. We report the first GWAS of offspring from preeclamptic pregnancies and discovery of the first genome-wide significant susceptibility locus (rs4769613; P = 5.4 × 10-11) in 4,380 cases and 310,238 controls. This locus is near the FLT1 gene encoding Fms-like tyrosine kinase 1, providing biological support, as a placental isoform of this protein (sFlt-1) is implicated in the pathology of preeclampsia. The association was strongest in offspring from pregnancies in which preeclampsia developed during late gestation and offspring birth weights exceeded the tenth centile. An additional nearby variant, rs12050029, associated with preeclampsia independently of rs4769613. The newly discovered locus may enhance understanding of the pathophysiology of preeclampsia and its subtypes.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 1255-1260 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | Nature Genetics |
Volume | 49 |
Issue number | 8 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 19 Jun 2017 |
Keywords
- Cohort Studies
- Female
- Fetus
- Follow-Up Studies
- Genetic Predisposition to Disease
- Genome, Human
- Genome-Wide Association Study
- Genotype
- Humans
- Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide
- Pre-Eclampsia/genetics
- Pregnancy
- Pregnancy Proteins/genetics
- Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-1/blood
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Dive into the research topics of 'Variants in the fetal genome near FLT1 are associated with risk of preeclampsia'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.Projects
- 1 Finished
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MRC UoB UNITE Unit - Programme 5
Lawlor, D. A. (Principal Investigator) & Lawlor, D. A. (Principal Investigator)
1/06/13 → 31/03/18
Project: Research
Profiles
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Professor Debbie A Lawlor
- Bristol Medical School (PHS) - Professor of Epidemiology, MRC Investigator and BHF Chair
- Bristol Population Health Science Institute
- MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit
Person: Academic , Member