Featured Publications
A statistical framework to identify cell types whose genetically regulated proportions are associated with complex diseases
Liu W, Deng W, Chen M, Dong Z, Zhu B, Yu Z, Tang D, Sauler M, Lin C, Wain L, Cho M, Kaminski N, Zhao H. A statistical framework to identify cell types whose genetically regulated proportions are associated with complex diseases. PLOS Genetics 2023, 19: e1010825. PMID: 37523391, PMCID: PMC10414598, DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1010825.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsCell typesDisease-associated tissuesWide association studyComplex diseasesCell type proportionsDisease-relevant tissuesReal GWAS dataFunctional genesTranscriptomic dataGWAS dataGenetic dataAssociation studiesNovel statistical frameworkChronic obstructive pulmonary diseaseStatistical frameworkObstructive pulmonary diseaseIdiopathic pulmonary fibrosisBreast cancer riskType proportionsBlood CD8Pulmonary diseasePulmonary fibrosisPredictive biomarkersLung tissueBreast cancer
2023
Whole-Exome Sequencing Analyses Support a Role of Vitamin D Metabolism in Ischemic Stroke
Xie Y, Acosta J, Ye Y, Demarais Z, Conlon C, Chen M, Zhao H, Falcone G. Whole-Exome Sequencing Analyses Support a Role of Vitamin D Metabolism in Ischemic Stroke. Stroke 2023, 54: 800-809. PMID: 36762557, PMCID: PMC10467223, DOI: 10.1161/strokeaha.122.040883.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsGene-based testingRare genetic variationGene-based analysisGenetic variationAssociation studiesGenome-wide association studiesSingle-variant association analysisWide significance levelSusceptibility risk lociWide association studyDeleterious missense variantsMissense rare variantsBonferroni-corrected thresholdWhole-exome sequencing dataRare variantsSingle variant analysisHeritable traitRisk lociExome-wide studySequencing dataExome sequencing analysisAssociation analysisSequencing analysisMissense variantsTraits
2021
Hematopoietic mosaic chromosomal alterations increase the risk for diverse types of infection
Zekavat SM, Lin SH, Bick AG, Liu A, Paruchuri K, Wang C, Uddin MM, Ye Y, Yu Z, Liu X, Kamatani Y, Bhattacharya R, Pirruccello JP, Pampana A, Loh PR, Kohli P, McCarroll SA, Kiryluk K, Neale B, Ionita-Laza I, Engels EA, Brown DW, Smoller JW, Green R, Karlson EW, Lebo M, Ellinor PT, Weiss ST, Daly MJ, Terao C, Zhao H, Ebert B, Reilly M, Ganna A, Machiela M, Genovese G, Natarajan P. Hematopoietic mosaic chromosomal alterations increase the risk for diverse types of infection. Nature Medicine 2021, 27: 1012-1024. PMID: 34099924, PMCID: PMC8245201, DOI: 10.1038/s41591-021-01371-0.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchMeSH KeywordsAdolescentAdultAgedAged, 80 and overAgingBiological Specimen BanksChromosome AberrationsCommunicable DiseasesDigestive System DiseasesFemaleGenetic Predisposition to DiseaseGenome-Wide Association StudyGenotypeHematologic NeoplasmsHumansMaleMiddle AgedMosaicismPneumoniaRisk FactorsSepsisUrogenital AbnormalitiesYoung AdultConceptsMosaic chromosomal alterationsLeukocyte cell countDominant risk factorChromosomal alterationsBlood-derived DNAInfectious disease riskIncident infectionsSystem infectionGenitourinary infectionsImmune cellsRisk factorsHematological malignanciesHematological cancersCell countDisease riskInfectionInfectious diseasesClonal hematopoiesisSomatic variantsAgeRiskAlterationsWide association studyAutosomal mosaic chromosomal alterationsAssociation studies
2019
Genome-wide association study of post-traumatic stress disorder reexperiencing symptoms in >165,000 US veterans
Gelernter J, Sun N, Polimanti R, Pietrzak R, Levey DF, Bryois J, Lu Q, Hu Y, Li B, Radhakrishnan K, Aslan M, Cheung KH, Li Y, Rajeevan N, Sayward F, Harrington K, Chen Q, Cho K, Pyarajan S, Sullivan PF, Quaden R, Shi Y, Hunter-Zinck H, Gaziano JM, Concato J, Zhao H, Stein MB. Genome-wide association study of post-traumatic stress disorder reexperiencing symptoms in >165,000 US veterans. Nature Neuroscience 2019, 22: 1394-1401. PMID: 31358989, PMCID: PMC6953633, DOI: 10.1038/s41593-019-0447-7.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsGenome-wide association studiesAssociation studiesHigh linkage disequilibrium regionLinkage disequilibrium regionWide association studyDisequilibrium regionBioinformatics analysisTranscriptomic profilesMillion Veteran ProgramChromosome 17Genetic risk factorsNew insightsUK Biobank dataReexperiencing of traumaStriatal medium spiny neuronsVeteran ProgramSignificant regionsCAMKVEuropean AmericansBiobank dataMedium spiny neuronsTCF4BiologyKANSL1African American cohortGenome-wide Association Study of Maximum Habitual Alcohol Intake in >140,000 U.S. European and African American Veterans Yields Novel Risk Loci
Gelernter J, Sun N, Polimanti R, Pietrzak RH, Levey DF, Lu Q, Hu Y, Li B, Radhakrishnan K, Aslan M, Cheung KH, Li Y, Rajeevan N, Sayward F, Harrington K, Chen Q, Cho K, Honerlaw J, Pyarajan S, Lencz T, Quaden R, Shi Y, Hunter-Zinck H, Gaziano JM, Kranzler HR, Concato J, Zhao H, Stein MB, Program D, Program M. Genome-wide Association Study of Maximum Habitual Alcohol Intake in >140,000 U.S. European and African American Veterans Yields Novel Risk Loci. Biological Psychiatry 2019, 86: 365-376. PMID: 31151762, PMCID: PMC6919570, DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2019.03.984.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsAdditional genome-wide significant lociRisk lociWide association study (GWAS) analysisAssociation studiesGenome-wide significant lociGenome-wide association studiesGenetic correlationsWide association studyNovel risk lociAlcohol-related traitsStrong statistical supportSmoking-related traitsAdditional genomesSignificant lociPancreatic delta cellsChromosome 4Chromosome 11Protein productsChromosome 8Quantitative phenotypesMillion Veteran ProgramVeterans Affairs Million Veteran ProgramLociCell typesChromosome 17
2017
Leveraging functional annotations in genetic risk prediction for human complex diseases
Hu Y, Lu Q, Powles R, Yao X, Yang C, Fang F, Xu X, Zhao H. Leveraging functional annotations in genetic risk prediction for human complex diseases. PLOS Computational Biology 2017, 13: e1005589. PMID: 28594818, PMCID: PMC5481142, DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1005589.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchMeSH KeywordsChromosome MappingData Interpretation, StatisticalData MiningDatabases, GeneticEpigenomicsGenetic Association StudiesGenetic Predisposition to DiseaseGenetic VariationGenome, HumanHumansLinkage DisequilibriumPolymorphism, Single NucleotideProportional Hazards ModelsQuantitative Trait LociRisk AssessmentConceptsGenome-wide association studiesFunctional annotationGenetic risk predictionDisease-associated genetic variantsLinkage disequilibriumIdentification of thousandsWide association studyHuman complex diseasesComplex diseasesGWAS summary statisticsHuman genetics researchAssociation studiesAnnoPredGenotype dataGenetic researchGenetic variantsRelevant variantsAnnotationDisequilibriumMost diseasesDiverse typesSummary statisticsVariantsBayesian frameworkPrecision medicine
2016
Integrative Tissue-Specific Functional Annotations in the Human Genome Provide Novel Insights on Many Complex Traits and Improve Signal Prioritization in Genome Wide Association Studies
Lu Q, Powles RL, Wang Q, He BJ, Zhao H. Integrative Tissue-Specific Functional Annotations in the Human Genome Provide Novel Insights on Many Complex Traits and Improve Signal Prioritization in Genome Wide Association Studies. PLOS Genetics 2016, 12: e1005947. PMID: 27058395, PMCID: PMC4825932, DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1005947.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsGenome-wide association studiesGWAS signalsComplex traitsFunctional annotationAssociation studiesHuman complex traitsFunctional regionsNon-coding regionsGWAS p-valuesWide association studyNovel biological insightsRelevant tissue typesEpigenetic annotationsGenomic functionsRegulatory machineryTransposable elementsHuman genomeGenoSkylineRisk lociBiological insightsIntegrative analysisGenetic studiesRegulatory miRNAPrioritization performanceSpecific annotations
2013
Guilt by rewiring: gene prioritization through network rewiring in Genome Wide Association Studies
Hou L, Chen M, Zhang CK, Cho J, Zhao H. Guilt by rewiring: gene prioritization through network rewiring in Genome Wide Association Studies. Human Molecular Genetics 2013, 23: 2780-2790. PMID: 24381306, PMCID: PMC3990172, DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddt668.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsGenome-wide association studiesWide association studyDisease-associated genesGWAS signalsNetwork rewiringAssociation studiesFunctional genomic informationGene expression networksCo-expression networkDisease-associated pathwaysExpression networksGene networksGenomic informationAssociation signalsGene prioritizationDisease genesDisease locusSusceptibility lociGenesAssociation principleRewiringDisease associationsLociMillions of candidatesDisease conditions