Publications by authors named "Nicholette D Palmer"

Whole-genome sequencing studies of parent-offspring trios have provided valuable insights into the potential impact of de novo mutations (DNMs) on human health and disease. However, the molecular mechanisms that drive DNMs are unclear. Studies with multi-child families can provide important insight into the causes of inter-family variability in DNM rates but they are highly limited.

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Background: Apolipoprotein L1 gene () variants are risk factors for chronic kidney disease (CKD) among Black Americans. Data are sparse on the genetic epidemiology of CKD and the clinical association of variants with CKD in West Africans, a major group in the Black population.

Methods: We conducted a case-control study involving participants from Ghana and Nigeria who had CKD stages 2 through 5, biopsy-proven glomerular disease, or no kidney disease.

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  • Whole genome sequencing (WGS) helps identify rare genetic variants that may explain the missing heritability of coronary artery disease (CAD) by analyzing 4,949 cases and 17,494 controls from the NHLBI TOPMed program.
  • The study estimates that the heritability of CAD is around 34.3%, with ultra-rare variants contributing about 50%, especially those with low linkage disequilibrium.
  • Functional annotations show significant enrichment of CAD heritability, highlighting the importance of ultra-rare variants and specific regulatory mechanisms in different cells as major factors influencing genetic risk for the disease.
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  • The study investigates how rare non-coding genetic variations affect complex traits, specifically focusing on human height by analyzing data from over 333,100 individuals across three large datasets.
  • Researchers found 29 significant rare variants linked to height, with impacts ranging from a decrease of 7 cm to an increase of 4.7 cm, after considering previously known variants.
  • The team also identified specific non-coding variants near key genes associated with height, demonstrating a new method for understanding the effects of rare variants in regulatory regions using whole-genome sequencing.
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  • * We found 17 genetic loci associated with sleep duration impacting lipid levels, with 10 of them being newly identified and linked to sleep-related disturbances in lipid metabolism.
  • * The research points to potential drug targets that could lead to new treatments for lipid-related issues in individuals with sleep problems, highlighting the connection between sleep patterns and cardiovascular health.
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Coronary artery calcium (CAC) is a marker of subclinical atherosclerosis and is a complex heritable trait with both genetic and environmental risk factors, including sex and smoking. We performed genome-wide association (GWA) analyses for CAC among all participants and stratified by sex in the COPDGene study ( = 6144 participants of European ancestry and = 2589 participants of African ancestry) with replication in the Diabetes Heart Study (DHS). We adjusted for age, sex, current smoking status, BMI, diabetes, self-reported high blood pressure, self-reported high cholesterol, and genetic ancestry (as summarized by principal components computed within each racial group).

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Aging significantly influences cellular activity and metabolism in glucose-responsive tissues, yet a comprehensive evaluation of the impacts of aging and associated cell-type responses has been lacking. This study integrates transcriptomic, methylomic, single-cell RNA sequencing, and metabolomic data to investigate aging-related regulations in adipose and muscle tissues. Through coexpression network analysis of the adipose tissue, we identified aging-associated network modules specific to certain cell types, including adipocytes and immune cells.

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  • Coronary artery calcification (CAC) is linked to heart disease and assessed through a genome-wide association study (GWAS) involving 22,400 participants from various backgrounds.
  • The study confirmed connections with four known genetic loci and discovered two new loci related to CAC, with supportive replication findings for both.
  • Functional tests suggest that ARSE promotes calcification in vascular smooth muscle cells and its variants may influence CAC levels, identifying ARSE as a key target for potential treatments in vascular calcific diseases.
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  • Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have successfully identified genes linked to telomere length, but previous research hadn't validated these findings until now.
  • In a large analysis involving over 211,000 people, the study discovered five new signals linked to telomere length and highlighted the importance of blood/immune cells in this area.
  • The researchers confirmed that the genes KBTBD6 and POP5 truly affect telomere length by demonstrating that manipulating these genes can lengthen telomeres and that their regulation is crucial for understanding telomere biology.
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  • * Neuroimaging reveals that many of these genetic variants have widespread effects on brain regions and are linked to various cancers and specific signaling pathways, such as p53 and Wnt.
  • * The findings suggest a connection between the genes that regulate head size and the likelihood of cancer, emphasizing the need for further research on the implications of this relationship.
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Although both short and long sleep duration are associated with elevated hypertension risk, our understanding of their interplay with biological pathways governing blood pressure remains limited. To address this, we carried out genome-wide cross-population gene-by-short-sleep and long-sleep duration interaction analyses for three blood pressure traits (systolic, diastolic, and pulse pressure) in 811,405 individuals from diverse population groups. We discover 22 novel gene-sleep duration interaction loci for blood pressure, mapped to genes involved in neurological, thyroidal, bone metabolism, and hematopoietic pathways.

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Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is the leading cause of end-stage kidney disease. Because many genes associate with DKD, multiomics approaches were used to narrow the list of functional genes, gene products, and related pathways providing insights into the pathophysiological mechanisms of DKD. The Kidney Precision Medicine Project human kidney single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) data set and Mendeley Data on human kidney cortex biopsy proteomics were used.

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APOL1-mediated kidney diseases have forever changed nephrology and kidney transplantation. Neves et al. extend this field with analyses in admixed Brazilians with the most severe type of APOL1-mediated kidney disease, idiopathic collapsing glomerulopathy.

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  • Educational attainment is linked to cardiovascular health, and a large genomic study examined how it interacts with cholesterol and triglyceride levels in nearly 226,315 individuals across five population groups.
  • The study identified 18 new genetic variations related to lipid levels—nine for low-density lipoprotein (LDL), seven for high-density lipoprotein (HDL), and two for triglycerides (TG)—some of which interact with educational attainment.
  • Researchers also found five gene targets that potentially interact with FDA-approved drugs, suggesting a connection between genetics and drug responses related to lipid metabolism and overall health.
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Background: Individuals with type 2 diabetes (T2D) have an increased risk of coronary artery disease (CAD), but questions remain about the underlying pathology. Identifying which CAD loci are modified by T2D in the development of subclinical atherosclerosis (coronary artery calcification [CAC], carotid intima-media thickness, or carotid plaque) may improve our understanding of the mechanisms leading to the increased CAD in T2D.

Methods: We compared the common and rare variant associations of known CAD loci from the literature on CAC, carotid intima-media thickness, and carotid plaque in up to 29 670 participants, including up to 24 157 normoglycemic controls and 5513 T2D cases leveraging whole-genome sequencing data from the Trans-Omics for Precision Medicine program.

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  • Large-scale whole-genome sequencing (WGS) studies have enhanced our understanding of how rare genetic variants affect complex human traits through better analysis techniques.* -
  • Current methods for analyzing multiple traits are limited in their ability to handle rare variants in large WGS datasets, prompting the development of MultiSTAAR.* -
  • MultiSTAAR enables more powerful analysis by considering relatedness, population structure, and the correlation between traits, leading to the discovery of new genetic associations in lipid traits that single-trait analyses missed.*
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  • Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play crucial roles in regulating lipid metabolism and have been studied in relation to genetic variants and complex traits.
  • This research utilized high-coverage whole-genome sequencing of over 66,000 diverse participants to assess how rare variants in lncRNA genes affect blood lipid levels, using a statistical framework to analyze the associations.
  • The study found 83 lncRNA variants significantly linked to lipid levels, with many being independent of common genetic variations, and replicated a majority of these findings with data from another large cohort.
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  • Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is widespread, partly genetic, and currently lacks effective treatment options.
  • A genome-wide association study (GWAS) identified several genetic variants linked to NAFLD, focusing on genes related to metabolism and liver function.
  • Genetic risk factors can help classify NAFLD into subtypes and significantly increase the risk of severe liver complications, potentially aiding in the development of targeted therapies.
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  • Obesity poses a significant public health challenge and is linked to high mortality rates, with prior studies focusing mostly on European populations.
  • This research utilized whole-genome sequencing data from a diverse group of 88,873 individuals, finding 18 new signals associated with body mass index (BMI) and highlighting a novel SNP prevalent among people of African descent.
  • The study emphasizes the importance of diverse genetic data in identifying new obesity-related variants, moving us closer to personalized medical interventions for this crisis.
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  • The study investigates the role of CCR2, a receptor for CCL2 involved in monocyte movement, in the risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, particularly through examining genetic variants in a large population sample from the UK Biobank.
  • Researchers identified 45 harmful genetic variants linked to lower monocyte counts, finding that carriers had a reduced risk of myocardial infarction and coronary artery disease, especially the M249K variant.
  • The M249K variant was associated with significantly lower risks for heart issues without increasing infection risk, suggesting its potential protective role against cardiovascular diseases.
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Context: Insulin resistance is associated with multiple complex diseases; however, precise measures of insulin resistance are invasive, expensive, and time-consuming.

Objective: Develop estimation models for measures of insulin resistance, including insulin sensitivity index (SI) and homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) from metabolomics data.

Design: Insulin Resistance Atherosclerosis Family Study (IRASFS).

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  • Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play key roles in regulating biological functions, and new genomic studies allow researchers to explore their connection to complex traits, like blood lipid levels.
  • This research involved high-coverage whole genome sequencing from over 66,000 participants, focusing on the influence of rare variants in 165,375 lncRNA genes on lipid variability.
  • The study found 83 rare lncRNA variant sets linked to blood lipid levels, with many of these associations being independent of common variants, suggesting potential new avenues for therapeutic interventions.
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  • A study analyzed over 43,000 blood genomes and discovered 7,131 recurrent non-missense somatic mutations (RNMSMs) that frequently occur in at least 50 individuals, challenging the idea that such mutations are rare and insignificant.
  • RNMSMs were found to increase with age, averaging 27 mutations in individuals around 50 years old, and were linked to inherited genetic variations affecting immune functions.
  • The presence of specific RNMSMs was associated with blood cell traits similar to the effects of inherited genetic mutations, suggesting that these somatic mutations have significant implications for human health.
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Mutations in a diverse set of driver genes increase the fitness of haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), leading to clonal haematopoiesis. These lesions are precursors for blood cancers, but the basis of their fitness advantage remains largely unknown, partly owing to a paucity of large cohorts in which the clonal expansion rate has been assessed by longitudinal sampling. Here, to circumvent this limitation, we developed a method to infer the expansion rate from data from a single time point.

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