Alzheimer’s Research & Therapy (Jan 2024)

Multi-omics and pathway analyses of genome-wide associations implicate regulation and immunity in verbal declarative memory performance

  • Hao Mei,
  • Jeannette Simino,
  • Lianna Li,
  • Fan Jiang,
  • Joshua C. Bis,
  • Gail Davies,
  • W David Hill,
  • Charley Xia,
  • Vilmundur Gudnason,
  • Qiong Yang,
  • Jari Lahti,
  • Jennifer A. Smith,
  • Mirna Kirin,
  • Philip De Jager,
  • Nicola J. Armstrong,
  • Mohsen Ghanbari,
  • Ivana Kolcic,
  • Christopher Moran,
  • Alexander Teumer,
  • Murali Sargurupremraj,
  • Shamsed Mahmud,
  • Myriam Fornage,
  • Wei Zhao,
  • Claudia L. Satizabal,
  • Ozren Polasek,
  • Katri Räikkönen,
  • David C. Liewald,
  • Georg Homuth,
  • Michele Callisaya,
  • Karen A. Mather,
  • B. Gwen Windham,
  • Tatijana Zemunik,
  • Aarno Palotie,
  • Alison Pattie,
  • Sandra van der Auwera,
  • Anbupalam Thalamuthu,
  • David S. Knopman,
  • Igor Rudan,
  • John M. Starr,
  • Katharina Wittfeld,
  • Nicole A. Kochan,
  • Michael E. Griswold,
  • Veronique Vitart,
  • Henry Brodaty,
  • Rebecca Gottesman,
  • Simon R. Cox,
  • Bruce M. Psaty,
  • Eric Boerwinkle,
  • Daniel I. Chasman,
  • Francine Grodstein,
  • Perminder S. Sachdev,
  • Velandai Srikanth,
  • Caroline Hayward,
  • James F. Wilson,
  • Johan G. Eriksson,
  • Sharon L. R. Kardia,
  • Hans J. Grabe,
  • David A. Bennett,
  • M. Arfan Ikram,
  • Ian J. Deary,
  • Cornelia M. van Duijn,
  • Lenore Launer,
  • Annette L. Fitzpatrick,
  • Sudha Seshadri,
  • Jan Bressler,
  • Stephanie Debette,
  • Thomas H. Mosley

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s13195-023-01376-6
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 16, no. 1
pp. 1 – 15

Abstract

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Abstract Background Uncovering the functional relevance underlying verbal declarative memory (VDM) genome-wide association study (GWAS) results may facilitate the development of interventions to reduce age-related memory decline and dementia. Methods We performed multi-omics and pathway enrichment analyses of paragraph (PAR-dr) and word list (WL-dr) delayed recall GWAS from 29,076 older non-demented individuals of European descent. We assessed the relationship between single-variant associations and expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) in 44 tissues and methylation quantitative trait loci (meQTLs) in the hippocampus. We determined the relationship between gene associations and transcript levels in 53 tissues, annotation as immune genes, and regulation by transcription factors (TFs) and microRNAs. To identify significant pathways, gene set enrichment was tested in each cohort and meta-analyzed across cohorts. Analyses of differential expression in brain tissues were conducted for pathway component genes. Results The single-variant associations of VDM showed significant linkage disequilibrium (LD) with eQTLs across all tissues and meQTLs within the hippocampus. Stronger WL-dr gene associations correlated with reduced expression in four brain tissues, including the hippocampus. More robust PAR-dr and/or WL-dr gene associations were intricately linked with immunity and were influenced by 31 TFs and 2 microRNAs. Six pathways, including type I diabetes, exhibited significant associations with both PAR-dr and WL-dr. These pathways included fifteen MHC genes intricately linked to VDM performance, showing diverse expression patterns based on cognitive status in brain tissues. Conclusions VDM genetic associations influence expression regulation via eQTLs and meQTLs. The involvement of TFs, microRNAs, MHC genes, and immune-related pathways contributes to VDM performance in older individuals.

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