ADRA2A and IRX1 are putative risk genes for Raynaud’s phenomenon

• Published in: Nature communications Vol. 14; no. 1; pp. 6156 - 11
• Main Authors: Hartmann, Sylvia, Yasmeen, Summaira, Jacobs, Benjamin M., Denaxas, Spiros, Pirmohamed, Munir, Gamazon, Eric R., Caulfield, Mark J., Hemingway, Harry, Pietzner, Maik, Langenberg, Claudia
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 12.10.2023; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 45/43; 692/308/2056; 692/308/575; 692/4023; Adrenergic receptors; Antidepressants; Catecholamine; Catecholamines; Electronic health records; Electronic medical records; Gene expression; Genes; Genetic diversity; Genetic variance; Genome-wide association studies; Genome-Wide Association Study; Genomes; Heritability; Homeodomain Proteins; Humanities and Social Sciences; Humans; Hypersensitivity; Medical research; multidisciplinary; Pain - complications; Raynaud Disease - complications; Raynaud Disease - genetics; Receptors, Adrenergic, alpha-2 - genetics; Regions; Risk; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Transcription Factors - genetics; Ulcer; Ulcers; Veins & arteries
• ISSN: 2041-1723; 2041-1723
• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-41876-5

Raynaud’s phenomenon (RP) is a common vasospastic disorder that causes severe pain and ulcers, but despite its high reported heritability, no causal genes have been robustly identified. We conducted a genome-wide association study including 5,147 RP cases and 439,294 controls, based on diagnoses from electronic health records, and identified three unreported genomic regions associated with the risk of RP ( p  < 5 × 10 −8 ). We prioritized ADRA2A (rs7090046, odds ratio (OR) per allele: 1.26; 95%-CI: 1.20-1.31; p < 9.6 × 10 −27 ) and IRX1 (rs12653958, OR: 1.17; 95%-CI: 1.12–1.22, p < 4.8 × 10 −13 ) as candidate causal genes through integration of gene expression in disease relevant tissues. We further identified a likely causal detrimental effect of low fasting glucose levels on RP risk (r G  = −0.21; p-value = 2.3 × 10 −3 ), and systematically highlighted drug repurposing opportunities, like the antidepressant mirtazapine. Our results provide the first robust evidence for a strong genetic contribution to RP and highlight a so far underrated role of α 2A -adrenoreceptor signalling, encoded at ADRA2A , as a possible mechanism for hypersensitivity to catecholamine-induced vasospasms. Raynaud’s phenomenon is a common vasospastic disorder, but the genetic origins of the condition are not well understood. Here, the authors find common genetic variants associated with Raynaud’s phenomenon, and find genes putatively involved in the disorder.