Genome-wide mega-analysis identifies 16 loci and highlights diverse biological mechanisms in the common epilepsies

  • The International League Against Epilepsy Consortium on Complex Epilepsies

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

338 Scopus citations

Abstract

The epilepsies affect around 65 million people worldwide and have a substantial missing heritability component. We report a genome-wide mega-analysis involving 15,212 individuals with epilepsy and 29,677 controls, which reveals 16 genome-wide significant loci, of which 11 are novel. Using various prioritization criteria, we pinpoint the 21 most likely epilepsy genes at these loci, with the majority in genetic generalized epilepsies. These genes have diverse biological functions, including coding for ion-channel subunits, transcription factors and a vitamin-B6 metabolism enzyme. Converging evidence shows that the common variants associated with epilepsy play a role in epigenetic regulation of gene expression in the brain. The results show an enrichment for monogenic epilepsy genes as well as known targets of antiepileptic drugs. Using SNP-based heritability analyses we disentangle both the unique and overlapping genetic basis to seven different epilepsy subtypes. Together, these findings provide leads for epilepsy therapies based on underlying pathophysiology.

Original languageEnglish
Article number5269
JournalNature Communications
Volume9
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Dec 2018

Funding

FundersFunder number
Royal Melbourne Hospital Neuroscience Foundation
H2020 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
Münchner Zentrum für Gesundheitswissenschaften, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
Ming Fund
Fondation Erasme
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
Royal Melbourne Hospital Foundation
Deutsches Forschungszentrum für Gesundheit und Umwelt, Helmholtz Zentrum München
Fonds De La Recherche Scientifique - FNRS
Health Research Board
NIHR Great Ormond Street Hospital Biomedical Research Centre
European Regional Development Fund
Seventh Framework Programme751761
Horizon 2020 Framework Programme279062
California Department of Fish and GameSA434/4-1/4-26-1
European Commission602102, LSHM-CT-2006-037315
Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung01EY1103
NIHR Sheffield Biomedical Research CentreP31753
Science Foundation Ireland16/RC/3948
National Health and Medical Research Council1091593
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human DevelopmentN01HD33348
Université libre de BruxellesWT066056
National Institutes of HealthR01-NS-053998, R01-NS-064154-01, R01-NS-49306-01
National Institute for Health and Care Research08-08-SCC
Netherlands National Epilepsy Fund04-08
National Human Genome Research InstituteZIAHG000167
Wellcome Trust066056, 084730

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