Sekar Kathiresan et al. report genome-wide association studies for polygenic dyslipidemia. From a meta-analysis of seven genome-wide association studies and follow-up in five replication studies, they identify 11 new genetic associations for LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol and triglycerides. Blood low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and triglyceride levels are risk factors for cardiovascular disease. To dissect the polygenic basis of these traits, we conducted genome-wide association screens in 19,840 individuals and replication in up to 20,623 individuals. We identified 30 distinct loci associated with lipoprotein concentrations (each with P < 5 × 10−8), including 11 loci that reached genome-wide significance for the first time. The 11 newly defined loci include common variants associated with LDL cholesterol near ABCG8, MAFB, HNF1A and TIMD4; with HDL cholesterol near ANGPTL4, FADS1-FADS2-FADS3, HNF4A, LCAT, PLTP and TTC39B; and with triglycerides near AMAC1L2, FADS1-FADS2-FADS3 and PLTP. The proportion of individuals exceeding clinical cut points for high LDL cholesterol, low HDL cholesterol and high triglycerides varied according to an allelic dosage score (P < 10−15 for each trend). These results suggest that the cumulative effect of multiple common variants contributes to polygenic dyslipidemia.

Common variants at 30 loci contribute to polygenic dyslipidemia