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Journal article

Rare and low-frequency coding variants alter human adult height

Abstract:
Height is a highly heritable, classic polygenic trait with approximately 700 common associated variants identified through genome-wide association studies so far. Here, we report 83 height-associated coding variants with lower minor-allele frequencies (in the range of 0.1–4.8%) and effects of up to 2 centimetres per allele (such as those in IHH, STC2, AR and CRISPLD2), greater than ten times the average effect of common variants. In functional follow-up studies, rare height-increasing alleles of STC2 (giving an increase of 1–2 centimetres per allele) compromised proteolytic inhibition of PAPP-A and increased cleavage of IGFBP-4 in vitro, resulting in higher bioavailability of insulin-like growth factors. These 83 height-associated variants overlap genes that are mutated in monogenic growth disorders and highlight new biological candidates (such as ADAMTS3, IL11RA and NOX4) and pathways (such as proteoglycan and glycosaminoglycan synthesis) involved in growth. Our results demonstrate that sufficiently large sample sizes can uncover rare and low-frequency variants of moderate-to-large effect associated with polygenic human phenotypes, and that these variants implicate relevant genes and pathways.
Publication status:
Published
Peer review status:
Peer reviewed

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Publisher copy:
10.1038/nature21039

Authors


More by this author
Institution:
University of Oxford
Division:
MSD
Department:
NDM
Sub department:
Human Genetics Wt Centre
Role:
Author
More by this author
Institution:
University of Oxford
Division:
MSD
Department:
NDM
Sub department:
Human Genetics Wt Centre
Role:
Author


Publisher:
Nature Publishing Group
Journal:
Nature More from this journal
Volume:
542
Issue:
7640
Pages:
186–190
Publication date:
2017-01-01
Acceptance date:
2016-12-04
DOI:
EISSN:
1476-4687
ISSN:
0028-0836


Pubs id:
pubs:664146
UUID:
uuid:2ea53a97-aa7a-42c8-9993-3cf12f7a2183
Local pid:
pubs:664146
Source identifiers:
664146
Deposit date:
2016-12-05

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