Genetic Mapping of Multiple Traits Identifies Novel Genes for Adiposity, Lipids, and Insulin Secretory Capacity in Outbred Rats.
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-1-2023
Original Citation
Hong-Le T,
Crouse W,
Keele G,
Holl K,
Seshie O,
Tschannen M,
Craddock A,
Das S,
Szalanczy A,
McDonald B,
Grzybowski M,
Klotz J,
Sharma N,
Geurts A,
Key C,
Hawkins G,
Valdar W,
Mott R,
Solberg Woods L.
Genetic Mapping of Multiple Traits Identifies Novel Genes for Adiposity, Lipids, and Insulin Secretory Capacity in Outbred Rats. Diabetes. 2023;72(1):135-48.
Keywords
JMG, Rats, Male, Humans, Animals, Adiposity, Genome-Wide Association Study, Obesity, Triglycerides, Insulins, Lipids, Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide
JAX Source
Diabetes. 2023;72(1):135-48.
ISSN
1939-327X
PMID
36219827
DOI
https://doi.org/10.2337/db22-0252
Grant
This study was funded by National Institutes of Health grants R01 DK 106386 (to L.C.S.W.), R01 DK120667 (to L.C.S.W.), and R01 DK 088975 (to L.C.S.W.) and National Institute of General Medical Sciences grant R35 GM127000 (to W.V.).
Abstract
Despite the successes of human genome-wide association studies, the causal genes underlying most metabolic traits remain unclear. We used outbred heterogeneous stock (HS) rats, coupled with expression data and mediation analysis, to identify quantitative trait loci (QTLs) and candidate gene mediators for adiposity, glucose tolerance, serum lipids, and other metabolic traits. Physiological traits were measured in 1,519 male HS rats, with liver and adipose transcriptomes measured in >410 rats. Genotypes were imputed from low-coverage whole-genome sequencing. Linear mixed models were used to detect physiological and expression QTLs (pQTLs and eQTLs, respectively), using both single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)- and haplotype-based models for pQTL mapping. Genes with cis-eQTLs that overlapped pQTLs were assessed as causal candidates through mediation analysis. We identified 14 SNP-based pQTLs and 19 haplotype-based pQTLs, of which 10 were in common. Using mediation, we identified the following genes as candidate mediators of pQTLs: Grk5 for fat pad weight and serum triglyceride pQTLs on Chr1, Krtcap3 for fat pad weight and serum triglyceride pQTLs on Chr6, Ilrun for a fat pad weight pQTL on Chr20, and Rfx6 for a whole pancreatic insulin content pQTL on Chr20. Furthermore, we verified Grk5 and Ktrcap3 using gene knockdown/out models, thereby shedding light on novel regulators of obesity.