Featured Publications
Genome-wide meta-analysis of alcohol use disorder in East Asians
Zhou H, Kalayasiri R, Sun Y, Nuñez YZ, Deng HW, Chen XD, Justice AC, Kranzler HR, Chang S, Lu L, Shi J, Sanichwankul K, Mutirangura A, Malison RT, Gelernter J. Genome-wide meta-analysis of alcohol use disorder in East Asians. Neuropsychopharmacology 2022, 47: 1791-1797. PMID: 35094024, PMCID: PMC9372033, DOI: 10.1038/s41386-022-01265-w.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsAlcohol use disorderAlcohol dependenceUse disordersICD-9-CM diagnosisGenome-wide association studiesEast Asian subjectsElectronic health recordsPack yearsLeading causePolygenic risk scoresThai cohortRisk scoreAlcohol consumptionDSM-IVAsian subjectsCohortMillion Veteran Program sampleHealth recordsLarge genome-wide association studiesEast AsiansOngoing recruitmentRisk genesDisordersRisk lociSubjectsBi-ancestral depression GWAS in the Million Veteran Program and meta-analysis in >1.2 million individuals highlight new therapeutic directions
Levey DF, Stein MB, Wendt FR, Pathak GA, Zhou H, Aslan M, Quaden R, Harrington KM, Nuñez YZ, Overstreet C, Radhakrishnan K, Sanacora G, McIntosh AM, Shi J, Shringarpure SS, Concato J, Polimanti R, Gelernter J. Bi-ancestral depression GWAS in the Million Veteran Program and meta-analysis in >1.2 million individuals highlight new therapeutic directions. Nature Neuroscience 2021, 24: 954-963. PMID: 34045744, PMCID: PMC8404304, DOI: 10.1038/s41593-021-00860-2.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsTranscriptome-wide association studyMillion Veteran ProgramTranscriptome-wide association study (TWAS) analysisGenomic risk lociComplex psychiatric traitsGenetic architectureRisk lociGene expressionAssociation studiesLikely pathogenicityPsychiatric traitsVeteran ProgramNew therapeutic directionEuropean ancestryNew insightsAncestryUK BiobankAfrican ancestrySubstantial replicationExpressionLarge independent cohortsGWASTherapeutic directionsGenesLociReproducible Genetic Risk Loci for Anxiety: Results From ∼200,000 Participants in the Million Veteran Program
Levey DF, Gelernter J, Polimanti R, Zhou H, Cheng Z, Aslan M, Quaden R, Concato J, Radhakrishnan K, Bryois J, Sullivan PF, Stein M. Reproducible Genetic Risk Loci for Anxiety: Results From ∼200,000 Participants in the Million Veteran Program. American Journal Of Psychiatry 2020, 177: 223-232. PMID: 31906708, PMCID: PMC7869502, DOI: 10.1176/appi.ajp.2019.19030256.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsNovel genome-wide significant associationsGene expressionGenome-wide significant signalsGenome-wide significant associationMillion Veteran ProgramWide association studyGenetic risk lociSignificant genetic correlationsGenetic risk mechanismsGenetic architectureGlobal regulatorChromosome 3Risk lociChromosome 6Chromosome 7Association studiesLargest GWASLarge biobanksGlobal regulationGenetic correlationsContinuous traitsVeteran ProgramGWASsLociPrevious GWASsTranslational studies support a role for serotonin 2B receptor (HTR2B) gene in aggression-related cannabis response
Montalvo-Ortiz JL, Zhou H, D’Andrea I, Maroteaux L, Lori A, Smith A, Ressler KJ, Nuñez YZ, Farrer LA, Zhao H, Kranzler HR, Gelernter J. Translational studies support a role for serotonin 2B receptor (HTR2B) gene in aggression-related cannabis response. Molecular Psychiatry 2018, 23: 2277-2286. PMID: 29875475, PMCID: PMC6281782, DOI: 10.1038/s41380-018-0077-6.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsGrady Trauma ProjectAfrican AmericansWild-type miceReceptor geneEffects of cannabisWide significant risk lociResident-intruder paradigmImpulsivity/aggressionConcordant findingsTHC administrationKnockout miceTranslational studiesAA subjectsCannabis useStudy designTrauma ProjectAdverse effectsMiceCannabisAggressive behaviorEuropean AmericansNominal associationAdverse consequencesGenome-wide association study (GWAS) designRisk loci
2024
Genome-wide association study of the common retinal disorder epiretinal membrane: Significant risk loci in each of three American populations
Gelernter J, Levey D, Galimberti M, Harrington K, Zhou H, Adhikari K, Gupta P, Program V, Gaziano J, Eliott D, Stein M. Genome-wide association study of the common retinal disorder epiretinal membrane: Significant risk loci in each of three American populations. Cell Genomics 2024, 4: 100582. PMID: 38870908, PMCID: PMC11228954, DOI: 10.1016/j.xgen.2024.100582.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsGenome-wide association studiesMillion Veteran ProgramRisk lociAssociation studiesTrans-ancestry meta-analysisSignificant risk lociPathway enrichment analysisEpiretinal membraneTrans-ancestryGenome-wideMultiple traitsGenetic associationEnrichment analysisGene expressionEuropean AmericansLoss of visual acuityVeteran ProgramGenetic correlationsLociBiological mechanismsAmerican populationVisual acuityRetinal conditionsControl individualsRetinal surface
2022
Genome-wide association study in individuals of European and African ancestry and multi-trait analysis of opioid use disorder identifies 19 independent genome-wide significant risk loci
Deak JD, Zhou H, Galimberti M, Levey DF, Wendt FR, Sanchez-Roige S, Hatoum AS, Johnson EC, Nunez YZ, Demontis D, Børglum AD, Rajagopal VM, Jennings MV, Kember RL, Justice AC, Edenberg HJ, Agrawal A, Polimanti R, Kranzler HR, Gelernter J. Genome-wide association study in individuals of European and African ancestry and multi-trait analysis of opioid use disorder identifies 19 independent genome-wide significant risk loci. Molecular Psychiatry 2022, 27: 3970-3979. PMID: 35879402, PMCID: PMC9718667, DOI: 10.1038/s41380-022-01709-1.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsGenome-wide association studiesGenome-wide significant risk lociAssociation studiesVariant associationsLarge-scale genome-wide association studiesGenetic correlationsSignificant risk lociPsychiatric Genomics ConsortiumMulti-trait analysisPolygenic risk score analysisSingle-variant associationsGWS lociGenetic architectureIndividuals of EuropeanGWS associationsRisk lociGene regionGenomics ConsortiumMillion Veteran ProgramSusceptibility lociAfrican ancestryLociRisk score analysisGenetic informativenessSNPs one