Using Y-Chromosomal Haplogroups in Genetic Association Studies and Suggested Implications

Y-chromosomal (Y-DNA) haplogroups are more widely used in population genetics than in genetic epidemiology, although associations between Y-DNA haplogroups and several traits, including cardiometabolic traits, have been reported. In apparently homogeneous populations defined by principal component a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Genes 2018-01, Vol.9 (1), p.45
Main Authors: Erzurumluoglu, A Mesut, Baird, Denis, Richardson, Tom G, Timpson, Nicholas J, Rodriguez, Santiago
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Body fat
Body mass index
Children
Deoxyribonucleic acid
DNA
DNA structure
Epidemiology
Phenotypes
Polymorphism
Population genetics
Single-nucleotide polymorphism
Studies
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Summary:Y-chromosomal (Y-DNA) haplogroups are more widely used in population genetics than in genetic epidemiology, although associations between Y-DNA haplogroups and several traits, including cardiometabolic traits, have been reported. In apparently homogeneous populations defined by principal component analyses, there is still Y-DNA haplogroup variation which will result from population history. Therefore, hidden stratification and/or differential phenotypic effects by Y-DNA haplogroups could exist. To test this, we hypothesised that stratifying individuals according to their Y-DNA haplogroups before testing for associations between autosomal single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and phenotypes will yield difference in association. For proof of concept, we derived Y-DNA haplogroups from 6537 males from two epidemiological cohorts, Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) ( = 5080; 816 Y-DNA SNPs) and the 1958 Birth Cohort ( = 1457; 1849 Y-DNA SNPs), and studied the robust associations between 32 SNPs and body mass index (BMI), including SNPs in or near Fat Mass and Obesity-associated protein ( ) which yield the strongest effects. Overall, no association was replicated in both cohorts when Y-DNA haplogroups were considered and this suggests that, for BMI at least, there is little evidence of differences in phenotype or SNP association by Y-DNA structure. Further studies using other traits, phenome-wide association studies (PheWAS), other haplogroups and/or autosomal SNPs are required to test the generalisability and utility of this approach.
ISSN:2073-4425
2073-4425
DOI:10.3390/genes9010045