Meta-analyses identify 13 loci associated with age at menopause and highlight DNA repair and immune pathways

Stolk, Lisette; Perry, John R. B.; Chasman, Daniel I.; Chunyan, He; Mangino, Massimo; Sulem, Patrick; Barbalic, Maja; Broer, Linda; Byrne, Enda M.; Ernst, Florian; Esko, Tõnu; Franceschini, Nora; Gudbjartsson, Daniel F.; Jouke Jan Hottenga,; Kraft, Peter; Mcardle, Patrick F.; Porcu, Eleonora; So Youn Shin,; Smith, Albert V.; Sophie Van Wingerden,; Zhai, Guangju; Zhuang, Wei V.; Albrecht, Eva; Alizadeh, Behrooz Z.; Aspelund, Thor; Bandinelli, Stefania; Lovorka Barac Lauc,; Beckmann, Jacques S.; Boban, Mladen; Boerwinkle, Eric; Broekmans, Frank J.; Burri, Andrea; Campbell, Harry; Chanock, Stephen J.; Chen, Constance; Cornelis, Marilyn C.; Corre, Tanguy; Coviello, Andrea D.; D'Adamo, Adamo Pio; Davies, Gail; Ulf De Faire,; De Geus, Eco J. C.; Deary, Ian J.; Dedoussis, George V. Z.; Deloukas, Panagiotis; Ebrahim, Shah; Eiriksdottir, Gudny; Emilsson, Valur; Eriksson, Johan G.; Fauser, Bart C. J. M.; Ferreli, Liana; Ferrucci, Luigi; Fischer, Krista; Folsom, Aaron R.; Garcia, Melissa E.; Gasparini, Paolo; Gieger, Christian; Glazer, Nicole; Grobbee, Diederick E.; Hall, Per; Haller, Toomas; Hankinson, Susan E.; Hass, Merli; Hayward, Caroline; Heath, Andrew C.; Hofman, Albert; Ingelsson, Erik; Janssens, A. Cecile J. W.; Johnson, Andrew D.; Karasik, David; Kardia, Sharon L. R.; Keyzer, Jules; Kiel, Douglas P.; Kolcic, Ivana; Kutalik, Zoltán; Lahti, Jari; Lai, Sandra; Laisk, Triin; Laven, Joop S. E.; Lawlor, Debbie A.; Liu, Jianjun; Lopez, Lorna M.; Louwers, Yvonne V.; Magnusson, Patrik K. E.; Marongiu, Mara; Martin, Nicholas G.; Irena Martinovic Klaric,; Masciullo, Corrado; Mcknight, Barbara; Medland, Sarah E.; Melzer, David; Mooser, Vincent; Navarro, Pau; Newman, Anne B.; Nyholt, Dale R.; Charlotte Onland Moret, N.; Palotie, Aarno; Paré, Guillaume; Parker, Alex N.; Pedersen, Nancy L.; Peeters, Petra H. M.; Pistis, Giorgio; Plump, Andrew S.; Polasek, Ozren; Pop, Victor J. M.; Psaty, Bruce M.; Räikkönen, Katri; Rehnberg, Emil; Rotter, Jerome I.; Rudan, Igor; Sala, Cinzia; Salumets, Andres; Scuteri, Angelo; Singleton, Andrew; Smith, Jennifer A.; Snieder, Harold; Soranzo, Nicole; Stacey, Simon N.; Starr, John M.; Stathopoulou, Maria G.; Stirrups, Kathleen; Stolk, Ronald P.; Styrkarsdottir, Unnur; Sun, Yan V.; Tenesa, Albert; Thorand, Barbara; Toniolo, Daniela; Tryggvadottir, Laufey; Tsui, Kim; Ulivi, Sheila; Van Dam, Rob M.; Van Der Schouw, Yvonne T.; Van Gils, Carla H.; Peter Van Nierop,; Vink, Jacqueline M.; Visscher, Peter M.; Voorhuis, Marlies; Waeber, Gérard; Wallaschofski, Henri; Erich Wichmann, H.; Widen, Elisabeth; Wijnands Van Gent, Colette J. M.; Willemsen, Gonneke; Wilson, James F.; Wolffenbuttel, Bruce H. R.; Wright, Alan F.; Yerges Armstrong, Laura M.; Zemunik, Tatijana; Zgaga, Lina; Carola Zillikens, M.; Zygmunt, Marek; The Lifelines Cohort Study,; Arnold, Alice M.; Boomsma, Dorret I.; Buring, Julie E.; Crisponi, Laura; Demerath, Ellen W.; Gudnason, Vilmundur; Harris, Tamara B.; Frank B., Hu; Hunter, David J.; Launer, Lenore J.; Metspalu, Andres; Montgomery, Grant W.; Oostra, Ben A.; Ridker, Paul M.; Sanna, Serena; Schlessinger, David; Spector, Tim D.; Stefansson, Kari; Streeten, Elizabeth A.; Thorsteinsdottir, Unnur; Uda, Manuela; Uitterlinden, André G.; Van Duijn, Cornelia M.; Völzke, Henry; Murray, Anna; Murabito, Joanne M.; Visser, Jenny A.; Lunetta, Kathryn L.

doi:10.1038/ng.1051

To newly identify loci for age at natural menopause, we carried out a meta-analysis of 22 genome-wide association studies (GWAS) in 38,968 women of European descent, with replication in up to 14,435 women. In addition to four known loci, we identified 13 loci newly associated with age at natural menopause (at P < 5 × 10(-8)). Candidate genes located at these newly associated loci include genes implicated in DNA repair (EXO1, HELQ, UIMC1, FAM175A, FANCI, TLK1, POLG and PRIM1) and immune function (IL11, NLRP11 and PRRC2A (also known as BAT2)). Gene-set enrichment pathway analyses using the full GWAS data set identified exoDNase, NF-κB signaling and mitochondrial dysfunction as biological processes related to timing of menopause.

Meta-analyses identify 13 loci associated with age at menopause and highlight DNA repair and immune pathways / Lisette, S., John R. B., P., Daniel I., C., Chunyan, H.e., Massimo, M., Patrick, S., Maja, B., Linda, B., Enda M., B., Florian, E., Tõnu, E., Nora, F., Daniel F., G., Jouke Jan, H., Peter, K., Patrick F., M., Eleonora, P., So Youn, S., Albert V., S., Sophie van, W., et al.. - In: NATURE GENETICS. - ISSN 1061-4036. - 44:(2012), pp. 260-268. [10.1038/ng.1051]