Elliot S Gershon

University of Chicago · Psychiatry and Human Genetics

Publications

  • 15.05
    Impact points
    Enrichment of cis-regulatory gene expression SNPs and methylation quantitative trait loci among bipolar disorder susceptibility variants.

    E R Gamazon, J A Badner, L Cheng, C Zhang, D Zhang, N J Cox, E S Gershon, J R Kelsoe, T A Greenwood, C M Nievergelt, [......], J B Potash, P P Zandi, P B Mahon, M G McInnis, S Zöllner, P Zhang, D W Craig, S Szelinger, T B Barrett, C Liu

    Molecular psychiatry. 01/2012;

    We conducted a systematic study of top susceptibility variants from a genome-wide association (GWA) study of bipolar disorder to gain insight into the functional consequences of genetic variation influencing disease risk. We report here the results of experiments to explore the effects of these susc... [more] We conducted a systematic study of top susceptibility variants from a genome-wide association (GWA) study of bipolar disorder to gain insight into the functional consequences of genetic variation influencing disease risk. We report here the results of experiments to explore the effects of these susceptibility variants on DNA methylation and mRNA expression in human cerebellum samples. Among the top susceptibility variants, we identified an enrichment of cis regulatory loci on mRNA expression (eQTLs), and a significant excess of quantitative trait loci for DNA CpG methylation, hereafter referred to as methylation quantitative trait loci (mQTLs). Bipolar disorder susceptibility variants that cis regulate both cerebellar expression and methylation of the same gene are a very small proportion of bipolar disorder susceptibility variants. This finding suggests that mQTLs and eQTLs provide orthogonal ways of functionally annotating genetic variation within the context of studies of pathophysiology in brain. No lymphocyte mQTL enrichment was found, suggesting that mQTL enrichment was specific to the cerebellum, in contrast to eQTLs. Separately, we found that using mQTL information to restrict the number of single-nucleotide polymorphisms studied enhances our ability to detect a significant association. With this restriction a priori informed by the observed functional enrichment, we identified a significant association (rs12618769, P(bonferroni)<0.05) from two other GWA studies (TGen+GAIN; 2191 cases and 1434 controls) of bipolar disorder, which we replicated in an independent GWA study (WTCCC). Collectively, our findings highlight the importance of integrating functional annotation of genetic variants for gene expression and DNA methylation to advance the biological understanding of bipolar disorder.Molecular Psychiatry advance online publication, 3 January 2012; doi:10.1038/mp.2011.174.
  • 3.48
    Impact points
    Association study of serotonin pathway genes in attempted suicide.

    Jennifer T Judy, Fayaz Seifuddin, Pamela B Mahon, Yuqing Huo, Fernando S Goes, Dubravka Jancic, Barbara Schweizer, Francis M Mondimore, Dean F Mackinnon, J Raymond Depaulo, Elliot S Gershon, Francis J McMahon, David J Cutler, Peter P Zandi, James B Potash, Virginia L Willour

    American journal of medical genetics. Part B, Neuropsychiatric genetics : the official publication of the International Society of Psychiatric Genetics. 01/2012; 159B(1):112-9.

    Epidemiological studies, such as family, twin, and adoption studies, demonstrate the presence of a heritable component to both attempted and completed suicide. Some of this heritability is accounted for by the presence of comorbid psychiatric disorders, but the evidence also indicates that a portion... [more] Epidemiological studies, such as family, twin, and adoption studies, demonstrate the presence of a heritable component to both attempted and completed suicide. Some of this heritability is accounted for by the presence of comorbid psychiatric disorders, but the evidence also indicates that a portion of this heritability is specific to suicidality. The serotonergic system has been studied extensively in this phenotype, but findings have been inconsistent, possibly due to the presence of multiple susceptibility variants and/or gene-gene interactions. In this study, we genotyped 174 tag and coding single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from 17 genes within the serotonin pathway on 516 subjects with a major mood disorder and a history of a suicide attempt (cases) and 515 healthy controls, with the goal of capturing the common genetic variation across each of these candidate genes. We tested the 174 markers in single-SNP, haplotype, gene-based, and epistasis analyses. While these association analyses identified multiple marginally significant SNPs, haplotypes, genes, and interactions, none of them survived correction for multiple testing. Additional studies, including assessment in larger sample sets and deep resequencing to identify rare causal variants, may be required to fully understand the role that the serotonin pathway plays in suicidal behavior.
  • 13.26
    Impact points
    High frequencies of de novo CNVs in bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.

    Dheeraj Malhotra, Shane McCarthy, Jacob J Michaelson, Vladimir Vacic, Katherine E Burdick, Seungtai Yoon, Sven Cichon, Aiden Corvin, Sydney Gary, Elliot S Gershon, [......], Deborah L Levy, Vladimir Makarov, Abhishek Bhandari, Anil K Malhotra, Francis J McMahon, Markus M Nöthen, James B Potash, Marcella Rietschel, Thomas G Schulze, Jonathan Sebat

    Neuron. 12/2011; 72(6):951-63.

    While it is known that rare copy-number variants (CNVs) contribute to risk for some neuropsychiatric disorders, the role of CNVs in bipolar disorder is unclear. Here, we reasoned that a contribution of CNVs to mood disorders might be most evident for de novo mutations. We performed a genome-wide ana... [more] While it is known that rare copy-number variants (CNVs) contribute to risk for some neuropsychiatric disorders, the role of CNVs in bipolar disorder is unclear. Here, we reasoned that a contribution of CNVs to mood disorders might be most evident for de novo mutations. We performed a genome-wide analysis of de novo CNVs in a cohort of 788 trios. Diagnoses of offspring included bipolar disorder (n = 185), schizophrenia (n = 177), and healthy controls (n = 426). Frequencies of de novo CNVs were significantly higher in bipolar disorder as compared with controls (OR = 4.8 [1.4,16.0], p = 0.009). De novo CNVs were particularly enriched among cases with an age at onset younger than 18 (OR = 6.3 [1.7,22.6], p = 0.006). We also confirmed a significant enrichment of de novo CNVs in schizophrenia (OR = 5.0 [1.5,16.8], p = 0.007). Our results suggest that rare spontaneous mutations are an important contributor to risk for bipolar disorder and other major neuropsychiatric diseases.
  • 12.26
    Impact points
    A high-risk study of bipolar disorder. Childhood clinical phenotypes as precursors of major mood disorders.

    John I Nurnberger, Melvin McInnis, Wendy Reich, Elizabeth Kastelic, Holly C Wilcox, Anne Glowinski, Philip Mitchell, Carrie Fisher, Mariano Erpe, Elliot S Gershon, [......], Gina Laite, Robert Schweitzer, Kelly Rhoadarmer, Vegas V Coleman, Xueya Cai, Faouzi Azzouz, Hai Liu, Masoud Kamali, Christine Brucksch, Patrick O Monahan

    Archives of general psychiatry. 10/2011; 68(10):1012-20.

    The childhood precursors of adult bipolar disorder (BP) are still a matter of controversy. To report the lifetime prevalence and early clinical predictors of psychiatric disorders in offspring from families of probands with DSM-IV BP compared with offspring of control subjects. A longitudinal, prosp... [more] The childhood precursors of adult bipolar disorder (BP) are still a matter of controversy. To report the lifetime prevalence and early clinical predictors of psychiatric disorders in offspring from families of probands with DSM-IV BP compared with offspring of control subjects. A longitudinal, prospective study of individuals at risk for BP and related disorders. We report initial (cross-sectional and retrospective) diagnostic and clinical characteristics following best-estimate procedures. Assessment was performed at 4 university medical centers in the United States between June 1, 2006, and September 30, 2009. Offspring aged 12 to 21 years in families with a proband with BP (n = 141, designated as cases) and similarly aged offspring of control parents (n = 91). Lifetime DSM-IV diagnosis of a major affective disorder (BP type I; schizoaffective disorder, bipolar type; BP type II; or major depression). At a mean age of 17 years, cases showed a 23.4% lifetime prevalence of major affective disorders compared with 4.4% in controls (P = .002, adjusting for age, sex, ethnicity, and correlation between siblings). The prevalence of BP in cases was 8.5% vs 0% in controls (adjusted P = .007). No significant difference was seen in the prevalence of other affective, anxiety, disruptive behavior, or substance use disorders. Among case subjects manifesting major affective disorders (n = 33), there was an increased risk of anxiety and externalizing disorders compared with cases without mood disorder. In cases but not controls, a childhood diagnosis of an anxiety disorder (relative risk = 2.6; 95% CI, 1.1-6.3; P = .04) or an externalizing disorder (3.6; 1.4-9.0; P = .007) was predictive of later onset of major affective disorders. Childhood anxiety and externalizing diagnoses predict major affective illness in adolescent offspring in families with probands with BP.
  • 34.28
    Impact points
    Large-scale genome-wide association analysis of bipolar disorder identifies a new susceptibility locus near ODZ4.

    Pamela Sklar, Stephan Ripke, Laura J Scott, Ole A Andreassen, Sven Cichon, Nick Craddock, Howard J Edenberg, John I Nurnberger, Marcella Rietschel, Douglas Blackwood, [......], Grant W Montgomery, Mark Lathrop, Högni Oskarsson, Michael Bauer, Adam Wright, Philip B Mitchell, Martin Hautzinger, Andreas Reif, John R Kelsoe, Shaun M Purcell

    Nature genetics. 09/2011; 43(10):977-83.

    We conducted a combined genome-wide association study (GWAS) of 7,481 individuals with bipolar disorder (cases) and 9,250 controls as part of the Psychiatric GWAS Consortium. Our replication study tested 34 SNPs in 4,496 independent cases with bipolar disorder and 42,422 independent controls and fou... [more] We conducted a combined genome-wide association study (GWAS) of 7,481 individuals with bipolar disorder (cases) and 9,250 controls as part of the Psychiatric GWAS Consortium. Our replication study tested 34 SNPs in 4,496 independent cases with bipolar disorder and 42,422 independent controls and found that 18 of 34 SNPs had P < 0.05, with 31 of 34 SNPs having signals with the same direction of effect (P = 3.8 × 10(-7)). An analysis of all 11,974 bipolar disorder cases and 51,792 controls confirmed genome-wide significant evidence of association for CACNA1C and identified a new intronic variant in ODZ4. We identified a pathway comprised of subunits of calcium channels enriched in bipolar disorder association intervals. Finally, a combined GWAS analysis of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder yielded strong association evidence for SNPs in CACNA1C and in the region of NEK4-ITIH1-ITIH3-ITIH4. Our replication results imply that increasing sample sizes in bipolar disorder will confirm many additional loci.
  • 15.05
    Impact points
    Genome-wide linkage analysis of 972 bipolar pedigrees using single-nucleotide polymorphisms.

    J A Badner, D Koller, T Foroud, H Edenberg, J I Nurnberger, P P Zandi, V L Willour, F J McMahon, J B Potash, M Hamshere, [......], M Ayub, A Maclean, D Blackwood, C-Y Liu, E S Gershon, W McMahon, G J Lyon, R Robinson, J Ross, W Byerley

    Molecular psychiatry. 07/2011;

    Because of the high costs associated with ascertainment of families, most linkage studies of Bipolar I disorder (BPI) have used relatively small samples. Moreover, the genetic information content reported in most studies has been less than 0.6. Although microsatellite markers spaced every 10 cM typi... [more] Because of the high costs associated with ascertainment of families, most linkage studies of Bipolar I disorder (BPI) have used relatively small samples. Moreover, the genetic information content reported in most studies has been less than 0.6. Although microsatellite markers spaced every 10 cM typically extract most of the genetic information content for larger multiplex families, they can be less informative for smaller pedigrees especially for affected sib pair kindreds. For these reasons we collaborated to pool family resources and carried out higher density genotyping. Approximately 1100 pedigrees of European ancestry were initially selected for study and were genotyped by the Center for Inherited Disease Research using the Illumina Linkage Panel 12 set of 6090 single-nucleotide polymorphisms. Of the ∼1100 families, 972 were informative for further analyses, and mean information content was 0.86 after pruning for linkage disequilibrium. The 972 kindreds include 2284 cases of BPI disorder, 498 individuals with bipolar II disorder (BPII) and 702 subjects with recurrent major depression. Three affection status models (ASMs) were considered: ASM1 (BPI and schizoaffective disorder, BP cases (SABP) only), ASM2 (ASM1 cases plus BPII) and ASM3 (ASM2 cases plus recurrent major depression). Both parametric and non-parametric linkage methods were carried out. The strongest findings occurred at 6q21 (non-parametric pairs LOD 3.4 for rs1046943 at 119 cM) and 9q21 (non-parametric pairs logarithm of odds (LOD) 3.4 for rs722642 at 78 cM) using only BPI and schizoaffective (SA), BP cases. Both results met genome-wide significant criteria, although neither was significant after correction for multiple analyses. We also inspected parametric scores for the larger multiplex families to identify possible rare susceptibility loci. In this analysis, we observed 59 parametric LODs of 2 or greater, many of which are likely to be close to maximum possible scores. Although some linkage findings may be false positives, the results could help prioritize the search for rare variants using whole exome or genome sequencing.Molecular Psychiatry advance online publication, 19 July 2011; doi:10.1038/mp.2011.89.
  • 9.53
    Impact points
    Genome-wide association of bipolar disorder suggests an enrichment of replicable associations in regions near genes.

    Erin N Smith, Daniel L Koller, Corrie Panganiban, Szabolcs Szelinger, Peng Zhang, Judith A Badner, Thomas B Barrett, Wade H Berrettini, Cinnamon S Bloss, William Byerley, [......], James B Potash, John Rice, Thomas G Schulze, William A Scheftner, Paul D Shilling, Peter P Zandi, Sebastian Zöllner, David W Craig, Nicholas J Schork, John R Kelsoe

    PLoS genetics. 06/2011; 7(6):e1002134.

    Although a highly heritable and disabling disease, bipolar disorder's (BD) genetic variants have been challenging to identify. We present new genotype data for 1,190 cases and 401 controls and perform a genome-wide association study including additional samples for a total of 2,191 cases and 1,4... [more] Although a highly heritable and disabling disease, bipolar disorder's (BD) genetic variants have been challenging to identify. We present new genotype data for 1,190 cases and 401 controls and perform a genome-wide association study including additional samples for a total of 2,191 cases and 1,434 controls. We do not detect genome-wide significant associations for individual loci; however, across all SNPs, we show an association between the power to detect effects calculated from a previous genome-wide association study and evidence for replication (P = 1.5×10(-7)). To demonstrate that this result is not likely to be a false positive, we analyze replication rates in a large meta-analysis of height and show that, in a large enough study, associations replicate as a function of power, approaching a linear relationship. Within BD, SNPs near exons exhibit a greater probability of replication, supporting an enrichment of reproducible associations near functional regions of genes. These results indicate that there is likely common genetic variation associated with BD near exons (±10 kb) that could be identified in larger studies and, further, provide a framework for assessing the potential for replication when combining results from multiple studies.
  • 2.33
    Impact points
    Genome-wide association study of personality traits in bipolar patients.

    Ney Alliey-Rodriguez, Dandan Zhang, Judith A Badner, Benjamin B Lahey, Xiaotong Zhang, Stephen Dinwiddie, Benjamin Romanos, Natalie Plenys, Chunyu Liu, Elliot S Gershon

    Psychiatric genetics. 03/2011; 21(4):190-4.

    Genome-wide association study was carried out on personality traits among bipolar patients as possible endophenotypes for gene discovery in bipolar disorder. The subscales of Cloninger's Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) and the Zuckerman-Kuhlman Personality Questionnaire (ZKPQ) were use... [more] Genome-wide association study was carried out on personality traits among bipolar patients as possible endophenotypes for gene discovery in bipolar disorder. The subscales of Cloninger's Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) and the Zuckerman-Kuhlman Personality Questionnaire (ZKPQ) were used as quantitative phenotypes. The genotyping platform was the Affymetrix 6.0 SNP array. The sample consisted of 944 individuals for TCI and 1007 for ZKPQ, all of European ancestry, diagnosed with bipolar disorder by Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-IV criteria. Genome-wide significant association was found for two subscales of the TCI, rs10479334 with the 'Social Acceptance versus Social Intolerance' subscale (Bonferroni P = 0.014) in an intergenic region, and rs9419788 with the 'Spiritual Acceptance versus Rational Materialism' subscale (Bonferroni P = 0.036) in PLCE1 gene. Although genome-wide significance was not reached for ZKPQ scales, lowest P values pinpointed to genes, RXRG for Sensation Seeking, GRM7 and ITK for Neuroticism Anxiety, and SPTLC3 gene for Aggression Hostility. After correction for the 25 subscales in TCI and four scales plus two subscales in ZKPQ, phenotype-wide significance was not reached.
  • 12.52
    Impact points
    After GWAS: searching for genetic risk for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

    Elliot S Gershon, Ney Alliey-Rodriguez, Chunyu Liu

    The American journal of psychiatry. 02/2011; 168(3):253-6.

    Ten years ago it was widely expected that the genetic basis of common disease would be resolved by genome-wide association studies (GWAS), large-scale studies in which the entire genome is covered by genetic markers. However, the bulk of heritable variance remains unexplained. The authors consider s... [more] Ten years ago it was widely expected that the genetic basis of common disease would be resolved by genome-wide association studies (GWAS), large-scale studies in which the entire genome is covered by genetic markers. However, the bulk of heritable variance remains unexplained. The authors consider several alternative research strategies. For instance, whereas it has been hypothesized that a common disease is associated primarily with common genetic variants, it is now plausible that multiple rare variants each have a potent effect on disease risk and that they could accumulate to become a substantial component of common disease risk. This idea has become more appealing since the discovery that copy number variants (CNVs) are a substantial source of human mutations and are associated with multiple common diseases. CNVs are structural genomic variants consisting of microinsertions, microdeletions, and transpositions in the human genome. It has been argued that numerous rare CNVs are plausible causes of a substantial proportion of common disease, and rare CNVs have been found to be potent risk factors in schizophrenia and autism. Another approach is to "parse the genome," i.e., reanalyze subsets of current GWAS data, since the noise inherent in genome-wide approaches may be hiding valid associations. Lastly, technological advances and declining costs may allow large-scale genome-wide sequencing that would comprehensively identify all genetic variants. Study groups even larger than the 10,000 subjects in current meta-analyses would be required, but the outcomes may lead to resolution of our current dilemma in common diseases: Where is the missing heritability?
  • 34.48
    Impact points
    Duplications of the neuropeptide receptor gene VIPR2 confer significant risk for schizophrenia.

    Vladimir Vacic, Shane McCarthy, Dheeraj Malhotra, Fiona Murray, Hsun-Hua Chou, Aine Peoples, Vladimir Makarov, Seungtai Yoon, Abhishek Bhandari, Roser Corominas, [......], Derek W Morris, Michael Gill, Aiden Corvin, Paul A Insel, Jon McClellan, Mary-Claire King, Maria Karayiorgou, Deborah L Levy, Lynn E DeLisi, Jonathan Sebat

    Nature. 02/2011; 471(7339):499-503.

    Rare copy number variants (CNVs) have a prominent role in the aetiology of schizophrenia and other neuropsychiatric disorders. Substantial risk for schizophrenia is conferred by large (>500-kilobase) CNVs at several loci, including microdeletions at 1q21.1 (ref. 2), 3q29 (ref. 3), 15q13.3 (ref. 2... [more] Rare copy number variants (CNVs) have a prominent role in the aetiology of schizophrenia and other neuropsychiatric disorders. Substantial risk for schizophrenia is conferred by large (>500-kilobase) CNVs at several loci, including microdeletions at 1q21.1 (ref. 2), 3q29 (ref. 3), 15q13.3 (ref. 2) and 22q11.2 (ref. 4) and microduplication at 16p11.2 (ref. 5). However, these CNVs collectively account for a small fraction (2-4%) of cases, and the relevant genes and neurobiological mechanisms are not well understood. Here we performed a large two-stage genome-wide scan of rare CNVs and report the significant association of copy number gains at chromosome 7q36.3 with schizophrenia. Microduplications with variable breakpoints occurred within a 362-kilobase region and were detected in 29 of 8,290 (0.35%) patients versus 2 of 7,431 (0.03%) controls in the combined sample. All duplications overlapped or were located within 89 kilobases upstream of the vasoactive intestinal peptide receptor gene VIPR2. VIPR2 transcription and cyclic-AMP signalling were significantly increased in cultured lymphocytes from patients with microduplications of 7q36.3. These findings implicate altered vasoactive intestinal peptide signalling in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia and indicate the VPAC2 receptor as a potential target for the development of new antipsychotic drugs.
  • 4.41
    Impact points
    Accuracy of CNV Detection from GWAS Data.

    Dandan Zhang, Yudong Qian, Nirmala Akula, Ney Alliey-Rodriguez, Jinsong Tang, Elliot S Gershon, Chunyu Liu

    PloS one. 01/2011; 6(1):e14511.

    Several computer programs are available for detecting copy number variants (CNVs) using genome-wide SNP arrays. We evaluated the performance of four CNV detection software suites--Birdsuite, Partek, HelixTree, and PennCNV-Affy--in the identification of both rare and common CNVs. Each program's p... [more] Several computer programs are available for detecting copy number variants (CNVs) using genome-wide SNP arrays. We evaluated the performance of four CNV detection software suites--Birdsuite, Partek, HelixTree, and PennCNV-Affy--in the identification of both rare and common CNVs. Each program's performance was assessed in two ways. The first was its recovery rate, i.e., its ability to call 893 CNVs previously identified in eight HapMap samples by paired-end sequencing of whole-genome fosmid clones, and 51,440 CNVs identified by array Comparative Genome Hybridization (aCGH) followed by validation procedures, in 90 HapMap CEU samples. The second evaluation was program performance calling rare and common CNVs in the Bipolar Genome Study (BiGS) data set (1001 bipolar cases and 1033 controls, all of European ancestry) as measured by the Affymetrix SNP 6.0 array. Accuracy in calling rare CNVs was assessed by positive predictive value, based on the proportion of rare CNVs validated by quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR), while accuracy in calling common CNVs was assessed by false positive/false negative rates based on qPCR validation results from a subset of common CNVs. Birdsuite recovered the highest percentages of known HapMap CNVs containing >20 markers in two reference CNV datasets. The recovery rate increased with decreased CNV frequency. In the tested rare CNV data, Birdsuite and Partek had higher positive predictive values than the other software suites. In a test of three common CNVs in the BiGS dataset, Birdsuite's call was 98.8% consistent with qPCR quantification in one CNV region, but the other two regions showed an unacceptable degree of accuracy. We found relatively poor consistency between the two "gold standards," the sequence data of Kidd et al., and aCGH data of Conrad et al. Algorithms for calling CNVs especially common ones need substantial improvement, and a "gold standard" for detection of CNVs remains to be established.
  • 4.41
    Impact points
    Removing batch effects in analysis of expression microarray data: an evaluation of six batch adjustment methods.

    Chao Chen, Kay Grennan, Judith Badner, Dandan Zhang, Elliot Gershon, Li Jin, Chunyu Liu

    PloS one. 01/2011; 6(2):e17238.

    The expression microarray is a frequently used approach to study gene expression on a genome-wide scale. However, the data produced by the thousands of microarray studies published annually are confounded by "batch effects," the systematic error introduced when samples are processed in mul... [more] The expression microarray is a frequently used approach to study gene expression on a genome-wide scale. However, the data produced by the thousands of microarray studies published annually are confounded by "batch effects," the systematic error introduced when samples are processed in multiple batches. Although batch effects can be reduced by careful experimental design, they cannot be eliminated unless the whole study is done in a single batch. A number of programs are now available to adjust microarray data for batch effects prior to analysis. We systematically evaluated six of these programs using multiple measures of precision, accuracy and overall performance. ComBat, an Empirical Bayes method, outperformed the other five programs by most metrics. We also showed that it is essential to standardize expression data at the probe level when testing for correlation of expression profiles, due to a sizeable probe effect in microarray data that can inflate the correlation among replicates and unrelated samples.
  • 15.05
    Impact points
  • 12.30
    Impact points
    Genetic control of individual differences in gene-specific methylation in human brain.

    Dandan Zhang, Lijun Cheng, Judith A Badner, Chao Chen, Qi Chen, Wei Luo, David W Craig, Margot Redman, Elliot S Gershon, Chunyu Liu

    American journal of human genetics. 03/2010; 86(3):411-9.

    We have observed extensive interindividual differences in DNA methylation of 8590 CpG sites of 6229 genes in 153 human adult cerebellum samples, enriched in CpG island "shores" and at further distances from CpG islands. To search for genetic factors that regulate this variation, we perform... [more] We have observed extensive interindividual differences in DNA methylation of 8590 CpG sites of 6229 genes in 153 human adult cerebellum samples, enriched in CpG island "shores" and at further distances from CpG islands. To search for genetic factors that regulate this variation, we performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) mapping of methylation quantitative trait loci (mQTLs) for the 8590 testable CpG sites. cis association refers to correlation of methylation with SNPs within 1 Mb of a CpG site. 736 CpG sites showed phenotype-wide significant cis association with 2878 SNPs (after permutation correction for all tested markers and methylation phenotypes). In trans analysis of methylation, which tests for distant regulation effects, associations of 12 CpG sites and 38 SNPs remained significant after phenotype-wide correction. To examine the functional effects of mQTLs, we analyzed 85 genes that were with genetically regulated methylation we observed and for which we had quality gene expression data. Ten genes showed SNP-methylation-expression three-way associations-the same SNP simultaneously showed significant association with both DNA methylation and gene expression, while DNA methylation was significantly correlated with gene expression. Thus, we demonstrated that DNA methylation is frequently a heritable continuous quantitatively variable trait in human brain. Unlike allele-specific methylation, genetic polymorphisms mark both cis- and trans-regulatory genetic sites at measurable distances from their CpG sites. Some of the genetically regulated DNA methylation is directly connected with genetically regulated gene expression variation.
  • 3.48
    Impact points
    Case-control association study of TGOLN2 in attempted suicide.

    Pamela B Mahon, Adrian M Stütz, Fayaz Seifuddin, Yuqing Huo, Fernando S Goes, Dubravka Jancic, Jennifer T Judy, J Raymond Depaulo, Elliot S Gershon, Francis J McMahon, Peter P Zandi, James B Potash, Virginia L Willour

    American journal of medical genetics. Part B, Neuropsychiatric genetics : the official publication of the International Society of Psychiatric Genetics. 03/2010; 153B(5):1016-23.

    Family, twin, and adoption studies provide convincing evidence for a genetic contribution to suicidal behavior. The heritability for suicidal behavior depends in part on the transmission of psychiatric disorders, such as mood disorders and substance use disorders, but is also partly independent of t... [more] Family, twin, and adoption studies provide convincing evidence for a genetic contribution to suicidal behavior. The heritability for suicidal behavior depends in part on the transmission of psychiatric disorders, such as mood disorders and substance use disorders, but is also partly independent of them. Three linkage studies using the attempted suicide phenotype in pedigrees with bipolar disorder, major depression, or alcoholism have provided consistent evidence that 2p11-12 harbors a susceptibility gene for attempted suicide. A microarray expression study using postmortem brain samples has implicated a gene from the 2p11-12 candidate region, the trans-Golgi network protein 2 (TGOLN2) gene, as being consistently up-regulated in suicide cases as compared to controls. Here, we present a TGOLN2 case-control association study using nine single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). These nine SNPs, which include seven tag SNPs and two coding SNPs, have been genotyped in 517 mood disorder subjects with a history of attempted suicide and 515 normal controls. Allelic and genotypic analyses of the case-control sample did not provide evidence for association with the attempted suicide phenotype. Eight of the nine SNPs provided supportive evidence for association (P-values ranging from 0.008 to 0.03) when we compared the attempted suicide cases with a history of alcoholism to the attempted suicide cases without a history of alcoholism. However, this association finding was not replicated in an independent sample. Taken together, these analyses do not provide support for the hypothesis that common genetic variation in TGOLN2 contributes significantly to the risk for attempted suicide in subjects with major mood disorders.
  • 3.48
    Impact points
    Sex-specific association of the reelin gene with bipolar disorder.

    F S Goes, V L Willour, P P Zandi, P L Belmonte, D F MacKinnon, F M Mondimore, B Schweizer, J R DePaulo, E S Gershon, F J McMahon, J B Potash

    American journal of medical genetics. Part B, Neuropsychiatric genetics : the official publication of the International Society of Psychiatric Genetics. 09/2009;

    The Reelin gene (RELN) encodes a secretory glycoprotein critical for brain development and synaptic plasticity. Post-mortem studies have shown lower Reelin protein levels in the brains of patients with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder (BP) compared with controls. In a recent genome-wide associatio... [more] The Reelin gene (RELN) encodes a secretory glycoprotein critical for brain development and synaptic plasticity. Post-mortem studies have shown lower Reelin protein levels in the brains of patients with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder (BP) compared with controls. In a recent genome-wide association study of schizophrenia, the strongest association was found in a marker within RELN, although this association was seen only in women. In this study, we investigated whether genetic variation in RELN is associated with BP in a large family sample. We genotyped 75 tagSNPs and 6 coding SNPs in 1,188 individuals from 318 nuclear families, including 554 affected offspring. Quality control measures, transmission-disequilibrium tests (TDTs), and empirical simulations were performed in PLINK. We found a significant overtransmission of the C allele of rs362719 to BP offspring (OR = 1.47, P = 5.9 x 10(-4)); this withstood empirical correction for testing of multiple markers (empirical P = 0.048). In a hypothesis-driven secondary analysis, we found that the association with rs362719 was almost entirely accounted for by overtransmission of the putative risk allele to affected females (OR(Female) = 1.79, P = 8.9 x 10(-5) vs. OR(Male) = 1.12, P = 0.63). These results provide preliminary evidence that genetic variation in RELN is associated with susceptibility to BP and, in particular, to BP in females. However, our findings should be interpreted with caution until further replication and functional assays provide convergent support. (c) 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
  • 15.05
    Impact points
    Genome-wide association study of bipolar disorder in European American and African American individuals.

    E N Smith, C S Bloss, J A Badner, T Barrett, P L Belmonte, W Berrettini, W Byerley, W Coryell, D Craig, H J Edenberg, [......], J B Potash, J Rice, T G Schulze, W Scheftner, C Panganiban, N Zaitlen, P P Zandi, S Zöllner, N J Schork, J R Kelsoe

    Molecular psychiatry. 07/2009;

    To identify bipolar disorder (BD) genetic susceptibility factors, we conducted two genome-wide association (GWA) studies: one involving a sample of individuals of European ancestry (EA; n=1001 cases; n=1033 controls), and one involving a sample of individuals of African ancestry (AA; n=345 cases; n=... [more] To identify bipolar disorder (BD) genetic susceptibility factors, we conducted two genome-wide association (GWA) studies: one involving a sample of individuals of European ancestry (EA; n=1001 cases; n=1033 controls), and one involving a sample of individuals of African ancestry (AA; n=345 cases; n=670 controls). For the EA sample, single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with the strongest statistical evidence for association included rs5907577 in an intergenic region at Xq27.1 (P=1.6 x 10(-6)) and rs10193871 in NAP5 at 2q21.2 (P=9.8 x 10(-6)). For the AA sample, SNPs with the strongest statistical evidence for association included rs2111504 in DPY19L3 at 19q13.11 (P=1.5 x 10(-6)) and rs2769605 in NTRK2 at 9q21.33 (P=4.5 x 10(-5)). We also investigated whether we could provide support for three regions previously associated with BD, and we showed that the ANK3 region replicates in our sample, along with some support for C15Orf53; other evidence implicates BD candidate genes such as SLITRK2. We also tested the hypothesis that BD susceptibility variants exhibit genetic background-dependent effects. SNPs with the strongest statistical evidence for genetic background effects included rs11208285 in ROR1 at 1p31.3 (P=1.4 x 10(-6)), rs4657247 in RGS5 at 1q23.3 (P=4.1 x 10(-6)), and rs7078071 in BTBD16 at 10q26.13 (P=4.5 x 10(-6)). This study is the first to conduct GWA of BD in individuals of AA and suggests that genetic variations that contribute to BD may vary as a function of ancestry.Molecular Psychiatry advance online publication, 2 June 2009; doi:10.1038/mp.2009.43.
  • 3.48
    Impact points
    Common and rare variants of DAOA in bipolar disorder.

    Manjula Maheshwari, Jiajun Shi, Judith A Badner, Andrew Skol, Virginia L Willour, Donna M Muzny, David A Wheeler, Fowler R Gerald, Sevilla Detera-Wadleigh, Francis J McMahon, James B Potash, Elliot S Gershon, Chunyu Liu, Richard A Gibbs

    American journal of medical genetics. Part B, Neuropsychiatric genetics : the official publication of the International Society of Psychiatric Genetics. 03/2009;

    The D-amino acid oxidase activator (DAOA, previously known as G72) gene, mapped on 13q33, has been reported to be genetically associated with bipolar disorder (BP) in several populations. The consistency of associated variants is unclear and rare variants in exons of the DAOA gene have not been inve... [more] The D-amino acid oxidase activator (DAOA, previously known as G72) gene, mapped on 13q33, has been reported to be genetically associated with bipolar disorder (BP) in several populations. The consistency of associated variants is unclear and rare variants in exons of the DAOA gene have not been investigated in psychiatric diseases. We employed a conditional linkage method-STatistical Explanation for Positional Cloning (STEPC) to evaluate whether any associated single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) account for the evidence of linkage in a pedigree series that previously has been linked to marker D13S779 at 13q33. We also performed an association study in a sample of 376 Caucasian BP parent-proband trios by genotyping 38 common SNPs in the gene region. Besides, we resequenced coding regions and flanking intronic sequences of DAOA in 555 Caucasian unrelated BP patients and 564 mentally healthy controls, to identify putative functional rare variants that may contribute to disease. One SNP rs1935058 could "explain" the linkage signal in the family sample set (P = 0.055) using STEPC analysis. No significant allelic association was detected in an association study by genotyping 38 common SNPs in 376 Caucasian BP trios. Resequencing identified 53 SNPs, of which 46 were novel SNPs. There was no significant excess of rare variants in cases relative to controls. Our results suggest that DAOA does not have a major effect on BP susceptibility. However, DAOA may contribute to bipolar susceptibility in some specific families as evidenced by the STEPC analysis. (c) 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
  • 3.48
    Impact points
    Family-based association of YWHAH in psychotic bipolar disorder.

    Deepak Grover, Ranjana Verma, Fernando S Goes, Pamela L Belmonte Mahon, Elliot S Gershon, Francis J McMahon, James B Potash

    American journal of medical genetics. Part B, Neuropsychiatric genetics : the official publication of the International Society of Psychiatric Genetics. 02/2009;

    YWHAH is a positional and functional candidate gene for both schizophrenia and bipolar disorder (BP). This gene has been previously shown to be associated with both disorders, and the chromosome location (22q12.3) has been repeatedly implicated in linkage studies for these disorders. It codes for th... [more] YWHAH is a positional and functional candidate gene for both schizophrenia and bipolar disorder (BP). This gene has been previously shown to be associated with both disorders, and the chromosome location (22q12.3) has been repeatedly implicated in linkage studies for these disorders. It codes for the eta subtype of the 14-3-3 protein family, is expressed mainly in brain, and is involved in HPA axis regulation. We investigated the association of YWHAH with BP in a large sample, consisting of 1211 subjects from 318 nuclear families including 554 affected offspring. We tested for association with the standard BP phenotype as well as subtypes defined by psychotic and mood-incongruent features. We genotyped five tag SNPs and the (GCCTGCA)(n) polymorphic locus present in this gene. Using a family-based association test, we found that rs2246704 was associated with BP (OR 1.31, P = 0.03) and psychotic BP (OR = 1.66, P = 0.002). The polymorphic repeat and two other SNPs were also modestly associated with psychotic BP. We have provided additional evidence for association of variants in YWHAH with major mental illness. Additional association analyses of larger sample sets will be required to clarify the role of YWHAH in schizophrenia and BP. The use of clinical sub-phenotypes such as psychotic features or other potential schizophrenia/BP overlap variables including cognitive abnormalities and poor functioning might shed further light on the potential subtypes of illness most closely associated with genetic variation in YWHAH. (c) 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
  • 3.48
    Impact points
    Family-based association study of Neuregulin 1 with psychotic bipolar disorder.

    Fernando S Goes, Virginia L Willour, Peter P Zandi, Pamela L Belmonte, Dean F MacKinnon, Francis M Mondimore, Barbara Schweizer, Elliot S Gershon, Francis J McMahon, James B Potash

    American journal of medical genetics. Part B, Neuropsychiatric genetics : the official publication of the International Society of Psychiatric Genetics. 02/2009;

    The Neuregulin 1 gene (NRG1) has been associated with schizophrenia, and, to a lesser extent, with bipolar disorder (BP). We investigated the association of NRG1 with BP in a large family sample, and then performed analyses according to the presence of psychotic features or mood-incongruent psychoti... [more] The Neuregulin 1 gene (NRG1) has been associated with schizophrenia, and, to a lesser extent, with bipolar disorder (BP). We investigated the association of NRG1 with BP in a large family sample, and then performed analyses according to the presence of psychotic features or mood-incongruent psychotic features. We genotyped 116 tagSNPs and four Icelandic "core" SNPs in 1,199 subjects from 314 nuclear families. Of 515 BP offspring, 341 had psychotic features, and 103 had mood-incongruent psychotic features. In single-marker and sliding window haplotype analyses using FBAT, there was little association using the standard BP or mood-incongruent psychotic BP phenotypes, but stronger signals were seen in the psychotic BP phenotype. The most significant associations with psychotic BP were in haplotypes within the 5' "core" region. The strongest global P-value was across three SNPs: NRG241930-NRG243177-rs7819063 (P = 0.0016), with an undertransmitted haplotype showing an individual P = 0.0007. The most significant individual haplotype was an undertransmitted two-allele subset of the above (NRG243177-rs7819063, P = 0.0004). Additional associations with psychotic BP were found across six SNPs in a 270 kb central region of the gene. The most 3' of these, rs7005606 (P = 0.0029), is located approximately 4 kb from the type I NRG1 isoform promoter. In sum, our study suggests that NRG1 may be specifically associated with the psychotic subset of BP; however, our results should be interpreted cautiously since they do not meet correction for multiple testing and await independent replication. (c) 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
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