BioMed Research International, 2015, 01, 1─9

Influence of genetic variants in EGF and other genes on hematological traits in Korean populations by a genome-wide approach

YunKyoung Kim, JiHee Oh, Young Jin Kim, Mi Yeong Hwang, Sanghoon Moon, Siew-Kee Low, Atsushi Takahashi, Koichi Matsuda, Michiaki Kubo, Juyoung Lee, Bong-Jo Kim

Abstract

Hematological traits are important health indicators and are used as diagnostic clinical parameters for human disorders. Recently, genome-wide association studies (GWAS) identifiedmany genetic loci associated with hematological traits in diverse ethnic groups. However, additional GWAS are necessary to elucidate the breadth of genetic variation and the underlying genetic architecture represented by hematological metrics. To identify additional genetic loci influencing hematological traits (such as hematocrit, hemoglobin concentration, white blood cell count, red blood cell count, and platelet count), we conducted GWAS and metaanalyses on data from 12,509 Korean individuals grouped into population-based cohorts. Of interest is EGF, a factor plays a role in the proliferation and differentiation of hematopoietic progenitor cells. We identified a novel EGF variant, which associated with platelet count in our study (？？combined = 2.44 × 10？15). Our study also replicated 16 genetic associations related to five hematological traits with genome-wide significance (？？ < 5×10？8) that were previously established in other ethnic groups. Of these, variants influencing platelet count are distributed across several genes and have pleiotropic effects in coronary artery disease and dyslipidemia. Our findings may aid in elucidatingmolecular mechanisms underlying not only hematopoiesis but also inflammatory and cardiovascular diseases.

• ISBN or ISSN: 2314-6133

• 본 연구는 질병관리본부 연구개발과제(과제번호 2012-N73002-00) 연구비를 지원받아 수행되었습니다.
• This research was supported by a fund(code 2012-N73002-00) by Research of Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.