
pmid: 27494321
pmc: PMC4975467
Disrupted circadian rhythms and reduced sleep duration are associated with several human diseases, particularly obesity and type 2 diabetes, but until recently, little was known about the genetic factors influencing these heritable traits. We performed genome-wide association studies of self-reported chronotype (morning/evening person) and self-reported sleep duration in 128,266 white British individuals from the UK Biobank study. Sixteen variants were associated with chronotype (P<5x10-8), including variants near the known circadian rhythm genes RGS16 (1.21 odds of morningness, 95% CI [1.15, 1.27], P = 3x10-12) and PER2 (1.09 odds of morningness, 95% CI [1.06, 1.12], P = 4x10-10). The PER2 signal has previously been associated with iris function. We sought replication using self-reported data from 89,283 23andMe participants; thirteen of the chronotype signals remained associated at P<5x10-8 on meta-analysis and eleven of these reached P<0.05 in the same direction in the 23andMe study. We also replicated 9 additional variants identified when the 23andMe study was used as a discovery GWAS of chronotype (all P<0.05 and meta-analysis P<5x10-8). For sleep duration, we replicated one known signal in PAX8 (2.6 minutes per allele, 95% CI [1.9, 3.2], P = 5.7x10-16) and identified and replicated two novel associations at VRK2 (2.0 minutes per allele, 95% CI [1.3, 2.7], P = 1.2x10-9; and 1.6 minutes per allele, 95% CI [1.1, 2.2], P = 7.6x10-9). Although we found genetic correlation between chronotype and BMI (rG = 0.056, P = 0.05); undersleeping and BMI (rG = 0.147, P = 1x10-5) and oversleeping and BMI (rG = 0.097, P = 0.04), Mendelian Randomisation analyses, with limited power, provided no consistent evidence of causal associations between BMI or type 2 diabetes and chronotype or sleep duration. Our study brings the total number of loci associated with chronotype to 22 and with sleep duration to three, and provides new insights into the biology of sleep and circadian rhythms in humans.
cognition, Male, Cancer Research, genetic association, PAX8 protein human, QH426-470, F100 - Chemistry, 1105 Ecology, Body Mass Index, RGS16 gene, genetic variability, PER2 protein, genetics, Genetics(clinical), 1306 Cancer Research, sleep time, Ecology, non insulin dependent diabetes mellitus, Protein-Serine-Threonine Kinases, genetic correlation, Circadian Rhythm, Female, Research Article, 2716 Genetics (clinical), EMC NIHES-01-64-01, INADL gene, Evolution, European Continental Ancestry Group, 610, self report, gene frequency, Caucasian, Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases, Article, White People, PAX8 Transcription Factor, Behavior and Systematics, 1311 Genetics, SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being, protein serine threonine kinase, VRK2 protein human, 1312 Molecular Biology, Genetics, Humans, C720 - Biological chemistry, controlled study, morningness, human, Obesity, gene, PER2 gene, Molecular Biology, EMC ONWAR-01-58-02, VRK2 gene, Diabetes Mellitus Type 2, Mendelian Randomization Analysis, body mass, United Kingdom, transcription factor PAX8, HTR6 gene, PAX8 gene, Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2, chronotype, gene replication, Sleep, Genome-Wide Association Study
cognition, Male, Cancer Research, genetic association, PAX8 protein human, QH426-470, F100 - Chemistry, 1105 Ecology, Body Mass Index, RGS16 gene, genetic variability, PER2 protein, genetics, Genetics(clinical), 1306 Cancer Research, sleep time, Ecology, non insulin dependent diabetes mellitus, Protein-Serine-Threonine Kinases, genetic correlation, Circadian Rhythm, Female, Research Article, 2716 Genetics (clinical), EMC NIHES-01-64-01, INADL gene, Evolution, European Continental Ancestry Group, 610, self report, gene frequency, Caucasian, Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases, Article, White People, PAX8 Transcription Factor, Behavior and Systematics, 1311 Genetics, SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being, protein serine threonine kinase, VRK2 protein human, 1312 Molecular Biology, Genetics, Humans, C720 - Biological chemistry, controlled study, morningness, human, Obesity, gene, PER2 gene, Molecular Biology, EMC ONWAR-01-58-02, VRK2 gene, Diabetes Mellitus Type 2, Mendelian Randomization Analysis, body mass, United Kingdom, transcription factor PAX8, HTR6 gene, PAX8 gene, Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2, chronotype, gene replication, Sleep, Genome-Wide Association Study
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