Sex-Stratified Genome-Wide Association Study in the Spanish Population Identifies a Novel Locus for Lacunar Stroke

Jara Cárcel-Márquez, Elena Muiño, Cristina Gallego-Fabrega, Natalia Cullell, Miquel Lledós, Laia Llucià-Carol, Jesús M. Martín-Campos, Tomás Sobrino, Francisco Campos, José Castillo, Marimar Freijo, Juan Francisco Arenillas, Victor Obach, José Álvarez-Sabín, Carlos A. Molina, Marc Ribó, Jordi Jiménez-Conde, Jaume Roquer, Lucia Muñoz-Narbona, Elena Lopez-CancioMònica Millán, Rosa Diaz-Navarro, Cristòfol Vives-Bauza, Gemma Serrano-Heras, Tomás Segura, Laura Ibañez, Laura Heitsch, Pilar Delgado, Rajat Dhar, Jerzy Krupinski, Luis Prats-Sánchez, Pol Camps-Renom, Marina Guasch, Garbiñe Ezcurra, Natalia Blay, Lauro Sumoy, Rafael De Cid, Joan Montaner, Carlos Cruchaga, Jin Moo Lee, Joan Martí-Fàbregas, Israel Férnandez-Cadenas

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Ischemic stroke (IS) represents a significant health burden globally, necessitating a better understanding of its genetic underpinnings to improve prevention and treatment strategies. Despite advances in IS genetics, studies focusing on the Spanish population and sex-stratified analyses are lacking. METHODS: A case-control genome-wide association study was conducted with 9081 individuals (3493 IS cases and 5588 healthy controls). IS subtypes using Trial of ORG 10172 in Acute Stroke Treatment criteria were explored in a sex-stratified approach. Replication efforts involved the MEGASTROKE, GIGASTROKE, and the UK Biobank international cohorts. Post-genome-wide association study analysis included: in silico proteomic analysis, gene-based analysis, quantitative trait loci annotation, transcriptome-wide association analysis, and bioinformatic analysis using chromatin accessibility data. RESULTS: Identified as associated with IS and its subtypes were 4 significant and independent loci. Replication confirmed 5p15.2 as a new locus associated with small-vessel occlusion stroke, with rs59970332-T as the lead variant (beta [SE], 0.13 [0.02]; P=4.34×10-8). Functional analyses revealed CTNND2 given proximity and its implication in pathways involved in vascular integrity and angiogenesis. Integration of Hi-C data identified additional potentially modulated genes, and in silico proteomic analysis suggested a distinctive blood proteome profile associated with the lead variant. Gene-set enrichment analyses highlighted pathways consistent with small-vessel disease pathogenesis. Gene-based associations with known stroke-related genes such as F2 and FGG were also observed, reinforcing the relevance of our findings. CONCLUSIONS: We found CTNND2 as a potential key molecule in small-vessel occlusion stroke risk, and predominantly in males. This study sheds light on the genetic architecture of IS in the Spanish population, providing novel insights into sex-specific associations and potential molecular mechanisms. Further research, including replication in larger cohorts, is essential for a comprehensive understanding of these findings and for their translation to clinical practice.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)2462-2471
Number of pages10
JournalStroke
Volume55
Issue number10
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 1 2024

Keywords

  • genome-wide association study
  • genomics
  • ischemic stroke
  • Spain
  • stroke

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