Large-scale GWAS identifies multiple loci for hand grip strength providing biological insights into muscular fitness

TY - JOUR

T1 - Large-scale GWAS identifies multiple loci for hand grip strength providing biological insights into muscular fitness

AU - Willems, Sara M

AU - et al.

AU - Grarup, Niels

AU - Linneberg, Allan

AU - Schnurr, Theresia M

AU - Pedersen, Oluf

AU - GEFOS Any-Type of Fracture Consortium

AU - Hansen, Torben

PY - 2017/7/12

Y1 - 2017/7/12

N2 - Hand grip strength is a widely used proxy of muscular fitness, a marker of frailty, and predictor of a range of morbidities and all-cause mortality. To investigate the genetic determinants of variation in grip strength, we perform a large-scale genetic discovery analysis in a combined sample of 195,180 individuals and identify 16 loci associated with grip strength (P<5 × 10-8) in combined analyses. A number of these loci contain genes implicated in structure and function of skeletal muscle fibres (ACTG1), neuronal maintenance and signal transduction (PEX14, TGFA, SYT1), or monogenic syndromes with involvement of psychomotor impairment (PEX14, LRPPRC and KANSL1). Mendelian randomization analyses are consistent with a causal effect of higher genetically predicted grip strength on lower fracture risk. In conclusion, our findings provide new biological insight into the mechanistic underpinnings of grip strength and the causal role of muscular strength in age-related morbidities and mortality.

AB - Hand grip strength is a widely used proxy of muscular fitness, a marker of frailty, and predictor of a range of morbidities and all-cause mortality. To investigate the genetic determinants of variation in grip strength, we perform a large-scale genetic discovery analysis in a combined sample of 195,180 individuals and identify 16 loci associated with grip strength (P<5 × 10-8) in combined analyses. A number of these loci contain genes implicated in structure and function of skeletal muscle fibres (ACTG1), neuronal maintenance and signal transduction (PEX14, TGFA, SYT1), or monogenic syndromes with involvement of psychomotor impairment (PEX14, LRPPRC and KANSL1). Mendelian randomization analyses are consistent with a causal effect of higher genetically predicted grip strength on lower fracture risk. In conclusion, our findings provide new biological insight into the mechanistic underpinnings of grip strength and the causal role of muscular strength in age-related morbidities and mortality.

U2 - 10.1038/ncomms16015

DO - 10.1038/ncomms16015

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 29313844

SN - 2041-1723

VL - 8

JO - Nature Communications

JF - Nature Communications

M1 - 16015

ER -