Claus Holst

Publications (2)43.17 Total impact

• Article: Genome-wide Association and Longitudinal Analyses Reveal Genetic Loci Linking Pubertal Height Growth, Pubertal Timing, and Childhood Adiposity.

  Diana L Cousminer, Diane J Berry, Nicholas J Timpson, Wei Ang, Elisabeth Thiering, Enda Byrne, H Rob Taal, Ville Huikari, Jonathan P Bradfield, Marjan Kerkhof, [......], Joachim Heinrich, Craig E Pennell, Olli Raitakari, Johan G Eriksson, George Davey Smith, Elina Hyppönen, Marjo-Riitta Järvelin, Mark I McCarthy, Samuli Ripatti, Elisabeth Widén
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  ABSTRACT: The pubertal height growth spurt is a distinctive feature of childhood growth reflecting both the central onset of puberty and local growth factors. While little is known about the underlying genetics, growth variability during puberty correlates with adult risks for hormone-dependent cancer and adverse cardiometabolic health. The only gene so far associated with pubertal height growth, LIN28B, pleiotropically influences childhood growth, puberty, and cancer progression, pointing to shared underlying mechanisms.To discover genetic loci influencing pubertal height and growth and place them in context of overall growth and maturation, we performed genome-wide association (GWA) meta-analyses in up to 18,737 European samples utilizing longitudinally collected height measurements. We found significant associations (P<1.67 x 10-8) at 10 loci, including LIN28B. Five loci associated with pubertal timing, all impacting multiple aspects of growth. In particular, a novel variant correlated with expression of MAPK3, and associated both with increased prepubertal growth and earlier menarche. Another variant near ADCY3-POMC associated with increased BMI, reduced pubertal growth, and earlier puberty.While epidemiological correlations suggest that early puberty marks a pathway from rapid prepubertal growth to reduced final height and adult obesity, our study shows that individual loci associating with pubertal growth have variable longitudinal growth patterns that may differ from epidemiological observations. Overall this study uncovers part of the complex genetic architecture linking pubertal height growth, the timing of puberty, and childhood obesity, and provides new information to pinpoint processes linking these traits.
  Human Molecular Genetics 02/2013; · 7.64 Impact Factor
• Source

  Available from: Aline Meirhaeghe

  Article: A genome-wide association meta-analysis identifies new childhood obesity loci.

  Jonathan P Bradfield, H Rob Taal, Nicholas J Timpson, André Scherag, Cecile Lecoeur, Nicole M Warrington, Elina Hypponen, Claus Holst, Beatriz Valcarcel, Elisabeth Thiering, [......], I Sadaf Farooqi, Mark I McCarthy, Philippe Froguel, David Meyre, Johannes Hebebrand, Marjo-Riitta Jarvelin, Vincent W V Jaddoe, George Davey Smith, Hakon Hakonarson, Struan F A Grant
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  ABSTRACT: Multiple genetic variants have been associated with adult obesity and a few with severe obesity in childhood; however, less progress has been made in establishing genetic influences on common early-onset obesity. We performed a North American, Australian and European collaborative meta-analysis of 14 studies consisting of 5,530 cases (≥95th percentile of body mass index (BMI)) and 8,318 controls (<50th percentile of BMI) of European ancestry. Taking forward the eight newly discovered signals yielding association with P < 5 × 10(-6) in nine independent data sets (2,818 cases and 4,083 controls), we observed two loci that yielded genome-wide significant combined P values near OLFM4 at 13q14 (rs9568856; P = 1.82 × 10(-9); odds ratio (OR) = 1.22) and within HOXB5 at 17q21 (rs9299; P = 3.54 × 10(-9); OR = 1.14). Both loci continued to show association when two extreme childhood obesity cohorts were included (2,214 cases and 2,674 controls). These two loci also yielded directionally consistent associations in a previous meta-analysis of adult BMI(1).
  Nature Genetics 04/2012; 44(5):526-31. · 35.53 Impact Factor