Genome-wide Association Study of Axial Length in Population-based Cohorts in Japan
Nobuo Fuse, Miyuki Sakurai, Ikuko N. Motoike, Kaname Kojima, Takako Takai‐Igarashi, Naoki Nakaya, Naho Tsuchiya, Tomohiro Nakamura, Mami Ishikuro, Taku Obara, Akiko Miyazawa, Kei Homma, Keisuke Ido, Makiko Taira, Tomoko Kobayashi, Ritsuko Shimizu, Akira Uruno, Eiichi Kodama, Kichiya Suzuki, Yohei Hamanaka, Hiroaki Tomita, Junichi Sugawara, Yoichi Suzuki, Fuji Nagami, Soichi Ogishima, Fumiki Katsuoka, Naoko Minegishi, Atsushi Hozawa, Shinichi Kuriyama, Nobuo Yaegashi, Shigeo Kure, Kengo Kinoshita, Masayuki Yamamoto
Abstract
Purpose: To elucidate the differences in ocular biometric parameters by generation and gender and to identify axial length (AL)-associated genetic variants in Japanese individuals, we analyzed Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization (ToMMo) Eye Study data. Design: We designed the ToMMo Eye Study, examined AL variations, and conducted genome-wide association studies (GWASs). Participants: In total, 33 483 participants aged > 18 years who were recruited into the community-based cohort (CommCohort) and the birth and three-generation cohort (BirThree Cohort) of the ToMMo Eye Study were examined. Methods: ) in each stage of the study and in the subsequent meta-analysis. Main Outcome Measures: We identified the association of SNPs with AL and distributions of AL in right and left eyes and individuals of different sexes and ages. Results: ). This study identified 1478 SNPs spread over 31 loci. Of the 31 loci, 5 are known AL loci, 15 are known refractive-error loci, 4 are known corneal-curvature loci, and 7 loci are newly identified loci that are not known to be associated with AL. Of note, some of them shared functional relationships with previously identified loci. Conclusions: Our large-scale GWASs exploiting ToMMo Eye Study data identified 31 loci linked to variations in AL, 7 of which are newly reported in this article. The results revealed genetic heterogeneity and similarity in SNPs related to ethnic variations in AL.