Multi-trait analysis characterizes the genetics of thyroid function and identifies causal associations with clinical implications
Rosalie Sterenborg, Inga Steinbrenner, Yong Li, Melissa Bujnis, Tatsuhiko Naito, Eirini Marouli, Tessel E. Galesloot, Oladapo Babajide, Laura Andreasen, Arne Astrup, Bjørn Olav Åsvold, Stefania Bandinelli, Marian Beekman, John Beilby, Jette Bork‐Jensen, Thibaud Boutin, Jennifer A. Brody, Suzanne J. Brown, Ben Brumpton, Purdey J. Campbell, Anne Rentoumis Cappola, Graziano Ceresini, Layal Chaker, Daniel I. Chasman, Maria Pina Concas, Rodrigo Coutinho de Almeida, Simone Cross, Francesco Cucca, Ian J. Deary, Alisa D. Kjærgaard, Justin B. Echouffo‐Tcheugui, Christina Ellervik, Johan G. Eriksson, Luigi Ferrucci, Jan Freudenberg, GHS DiscovEHR, Christian Fuchsberger, Christian Gieger, Franco Giulianini, Martin Gögele, Sarah E. Graham, Niels Grarup, Ivana Gunjača, Torben Hansen, Barbara N Harding, Sarah E. Harris, Stig Haunsø, Caroline Hayward, Jennie Hui, Till Ittermann, J. Wouter Jukema, Eero Kajantie, Jørgen K. Kanters, Line Lund Kårhus, Lambertus A. Kiemeney, M. Kloppenburg, Brigitte Kühnel, Jari Lahti, Claudia Langenberg, Bruno Lapauw, Graham Leese, Shuo Li, David C. Liewald, Allan Linneberg, Jesus V. T. Lominchar, Jian’an Luan, Nicholas G. Martin, Antonela Matana, Marcel E. Meima, Thomas Meitinger, Ingrid Meulenbelt, Braxton D. Mitchell, Line T. Møllehave, Samia Mora, Silvia Naitza, Matthias Nauck, Romana T. Netea‐Maier, Raymond Noordam, Casia Nursyifa, Yukinori Okada, Stefano Onano, Areti Papadopoulou, Colin N. A. Palmer, Cristian Pattaro, Oluf Pedersen, Annette Peters, Maik Pietzner, Ozren Polašek, Peter P. Pramstaller, Bruce M. Psaty, Ante Punda, Debashree Ray, Paul Redmond, J. Brent Richards, Paul M. Ridker, Tom C. Russ, Kathleen A. Ryan, Morten S. Olesen, Ulla T. Schultheiß, Elizabeth Selvin
Abstract
To date only a fraction of the genetic footprint of thyroid function has been clarified. We report a genome-wide association study meta-analysis of thyroid function in up to 271,040 individuals of European ancestry, including reference range thyrotropin (TSH), free thyroxine (FT4), free and total triiodothyronine (T3), proxies for metabolism (T3/FT4 ratio) as well as dichotomized high and low TSH levels. We revealed 259 independent significant associations for TSH (61% novel), 85 for FT4 (67% novel), and 62 novel signals for the T3 related traits. The loci explained 14.1%, 6.0%, 9.5% and 1.1% of the total variation in TSH, FT4, total T3 and free T3 concentrations, respectively. Genetic correlations indicate that TSH associated loci reflect the thyroid function determined by free T3, whereas the FT4 associations represent the thyroid hormone metabolism. Polygenic risk score and Mendelian randomization analyses showed the effects of genetically determined variation in thyroid function on various clinical outcomes, including cardiovascular risk factors and diseases, autoimmune diseases, and cancer. In conclusion, our results improve the understanding of thyroid hormone physiology and highlight the pleiotropic effects of thyroid function on various diseases.