Genomic analyses identify hundreds of variants associated with age at menarche and support a role for puberty timing in cancer risk.
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| Abstract | The timing of puberty is a highly polygenic childhood trait that is epidemiologically associated with various adult diseases. Using 1000 Genomes Project-imputed genotype data in up to ∼370,000 women, we identify 389 independent signals (P 5 × 10) for age at menarche, a milestone in female pubertal development. In Icelandic data, these signals explain ∼7.4% of the population variance in age at menarche, corresponding to ∼25% of the estimated heritability. We implicate ∼250 genes via coding variation or associated expression, demonstrating significant enrichment in neural tissues. Rare variants near the imprinted genes MKRN3 and DLK1 were identified, exhibiting large effects when paternally inherited. Mendelian randomization analyses suggest causal inverse associations, independent of body mass index (BMI), between puberty timing and risks for breast and endometrial cancers in women and prostate cancer in men. In aggregate, our findings highlight the complexity of the genetic regulation of puberty timing and support causal links with cancer susceptibility. |
| Year of Publication | 2017
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| Journal | Nat Genet
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| Volume | 49
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| Issue | 6
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| Pages | 834-841
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| Date Published | 2017 Jun
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| ISSN | 1546-1718
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| DOI | 10.1038/ng.3841
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| PubMed ID | 28436984
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| PubMed Central ID | PMC5841952
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| Grant list | SP/07/008/24066 / British Heart Foundation / United Kingdom
MC_UU_12013/3 / Medical Research Council / United Kingdom
Z01 AG006000-01 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States
G1000143 / Medical Research Council / United Kingdom
MR/J012165/1 / Medical Research Council / United Kingdom
R56 AG029451 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States
G1001357 / Medical Research Council / United Kingdom
MC_UU_12015/1 / Medical Research Council / United Kingdom
MC_UU_12015/2 / Medical Research Council / United Kingdom
14136 / Cancer Research UK / United Kingdom
G0401527 / Medical Research Council / United Kingdom
MC_UU_12013/1 / Medical Research Council / United Kingdom
UM1 CA182913 / CA / NCI NIH HHS / United States
T32 HL007055 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
R01 CA192393 / CA / NCI NIH HHS / United States
MC_UU_12013/5 / Medical Research Council / United Kingdom
10124 / Cancer Research UK / United Kingdom
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