ORCADES and Viking Health Study – Shetland volunteer data used in largest ever genetic study helps to identify 12,000 genetic variants associated with height. Adult height is heritable and easily measured. Previous research has identified a large number of genetic variants associated with height, including genes associated with skeletal disorders, especially in populations of European ancestry. Height is a model trait for evaluating the role of genetic variation in the expression of observable human traits. Many observable or measurable traits are inherited, such as height, eye colour, and blood type, as well as blood pressure, cholesterol levels, blood sugar, cognitive ability, and other risk factors for disease. In each case, the measured characteristic is determined by both genetic makeup and environmental factors. Height is studied as a model for other traits because it is measured very frequently. So what geneticists can learn about height paves the way for what they can learn about disease-related traits as the sample size increases. Image The largest genome-wide association study to date In the largest genome-wide association study (GWAS) to date, researchers performed genetic analyses on an incredible 5.4 million volunteers from hundreds of cohorts and a range of ancestries: 75.8% of the sample was predominantly of European ancestry, 8.8% predominantly of East Asian ancestry, 8.5% predominantly of Hispanic ethnicity, 5.5% predominantly of African ancestry, and 1.4% predominantly of South Asian ancestry. They identified 12,111 independent genetic variants significantly associated with height. Lead author Loïc Yengo and his colleagues at the GIANT consortium believe that these variants account for nearly all variants associated with height, particularly in populations of European ancestry. When they examined the location of these variants across the genome, they found that the variants were more likely to be located near genes already known to be associated with growth disorders. The authors note that the genetic variants identified in this study that are associated with height are responsible for 40% of the variation in height in populations of European ancestry, but only about 10-20% in other ancestries. The results show that with large enough samples, researchers can create a saturated map of the regions in the genome that contribute to variation: the vast majority of common genetic variants associated with height were found. They conclude that further research is needed in groups with non-European ancestry to achieve the same level of saturation as in Europeans. Related Links VIKING genes home A saturated map of common genetic variants associated with human height This article was published on 2022-11-03
